


Taken

by alphabot



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Wolves, Large Cast of Idols as Supporting Characters, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2018-10-19 21:40:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10648587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphabot/pseuds/alphabot
Summary: "I asked you a question, Lord Chanyeol," said the Alpha King. "You seem to be quite taken with my son."Taken? Chanyeol supposed that was about right. Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.Or the tale of wolf Prince Kyungsoo and Chanyeol through the years. (I have no idea how to write a summary for this.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted from AFF.

"I asked you a question, Lord Park Chanyeol," said the Alpha King. "You seem to be quite taken with my son."

Taken? Chanyeol supposed that was about right. Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Even before they had met, there was something about Kyungsoo that had captured Chanyeol’s interest. It might have been his wide eyes, so full of life and happiness. Or it could have been his heart-shaped smile, bright and infectious. Whatever it was, it had captured Chanyeol’s attention the moment he had seen the photo on his roommate’s desk.

Despite having never met him, he knew instantly who the pup in the photo was. There could really only be one option. After all, who else would the Crown Prince have a photo of on his desk but his younger brother? For a moment he had thought it was a photo of the Crown Prince himself. The Alpha King and his mate shielded their pups away from the public eye as much as possible. But he’d seen a glimpse of the the Crown Prince as he had arrived at the Academy, prim and proper in immaculate dress as he met with the Headmaster and other important staff members. And while his smile had been dazzling, it did not match the one in the photo. No, that smile matched the Alpha King’s second mate, which could only mean the photo was that of the younger Prince. 

The decision to room with the Crown Prince had not been Chanyeol’s. It had not been his father’s either. It had been the Alpha King’s. No doubt it had been a calculated choice, made with much thought and input from his advisors and those who wished to be his advisors.

When news that the Crown Prince had been granted admittance into the Academy first broke it had launched a political firestorm. Everyone wanted their son, grandson, nephew, or some relation to be his roommate. It had gotten so heated that there had even been talk that he be allowed to room alone. That, of course, would never happen. Part of educating young boys was teaching them to get along with others, whether they liked them or not. Thus, no one ever roomed alone, Crown Prince or not.

Yet it had never occurred to Chanyeol that he would be the lucky one chosen to be the Crown Prince’s roommate. Despite being younger than his sister, as a male he was more likely to inherit anything than she was. But his father was also a younger son, the younger son of a minor Lord. As such there was little that he would actually inherit save for a title. He was noble in name only, somebody of little importance, of no consequence.

It was only when he was older that Chanyeol understood the significance of being chosen as the Crown Prince’s roommate. It had brought some measure of honor to him and his father, to his family name. More importantly, it had quieted the firestorm in a way that no one could really fault. Better that the Crown Prince room with a nobody noble than to room with the son of some faction or another. The Parks held little influence and the decision did not change much the balance of power between the factions.

Chanyeol would learn all of this in the years to come, when he was older. But back then, as a ten year-old pup, the decision had terrified him. What if he made a mistake? What if he angered the Crown Prince? And then what if he took out his anger towards his family? It felt like the weight of the world to a young pup.

Still, Chanyeol, though young, knew the importance of duty and honor. He would do his best to serve his family. And so on that fateful day years ago he had moved into the dorm he would call home for the next eight years of his life.

Someone had already moved the Crown Prince’s belongings in. They’d taken the right side of the room, a bed and desk along the wall and an open door, revealing a half filled closet. The left looked exactly the same, except the door on his side led into a private bathroom. It was the only concession that the Academy had made for the Crown Prince. Instead of a standard room, Chanyeol and the Prince shared what should be a teacher’s room. None of the other rooms had their own bathroom. Instead, they had to share one at the end of the hall.

He quickly set about unpacking his belongings. Even though he only had himself to move his things in, it didn't take very long. Everything he'd brought fit into a suitcase and a duffel bag. He was almost finished when it happened. A quick glance at the other side of the room to observe how the Crown Prince had his things arranged and his eyes fell upon the picture of the smiling younger Prince. In a moment he was taken, his attention wrapped up in the smiling pup.

It couldn't have been long, but Chanyeol found himself staring at the picture. There was something about the picture, even if he didn't know what it was. He was still staring when the Crown Prince walked into their shared room.

As first meetings went, it had been an awkward one. They exchanged pleasantries while the Alpha King’s majordomo stood watching from the door. He must have been pleased by what he saw, for he smiled at the Prince and said his goodbye before leaving and closing the door behind him. He hadn't said a word to Chanyeol, though. He almost never would.

Chanyeol turned back to his task at hand, finishing unpacking his belongings. He only took one more glance at the picture before the day was over. At least, he’d like to think it was only one.

-

It would take some months before Chanyeol would begin to feel comfortable rooming with the Crown Prince. The awkwardness soon disappeared, and the two were able to converse somewhat normally. But Chanyeol never forgot himself. He never forgot his place. He was a nobody noble, chosen to room with the Prince not because of the connections he would bring, but precisely because he was unconnected.

The Crown Prince never seemed to forget it either. Though always cordial with each other, there was always a sort of distance between them. There was always a wall that clearly marked the boundaries of where Chanyeol shouldn't cross, even if the Crown Prince would sometimes ignore them himself. He had reminded Chanyeol of its existence on more than one occasion. The boundaries were there, set in stone and unmovable.

Until the day they changed.

It was the last week of their first year at the Academy. They had started to learn to fence. It was, of course, a noble and civilized pass time. Being in the same year, Chanyeol and the Prince shared most of their classes. But fencing was not one of them, and so it was was in the changing rooms that Chanyeol first heard the news. The Prince had boasted of his skill with the sword and challenged Minho, the son of one of his father’s most outspoken opponents, to a duel.

The reason that the Crown Prince did not share his fencing lessons with Chanyeol was that he, in fact, shared them with no one. He was given private lessons. With the understanding of only ten years of age, Chanyeol thought it was simply yet another way in which case the Crown Prince was set above the rest of the students at the Academy. That day, he realized that the real reason was a misguided attempt to protect the Prince. While the Prince had the privilege of private lessons, he did not have anyone to truly spar against. He only practiced against his teacher.

Needless to say, Minho made little work before besting the Prince in the duel. It was, from all accounts, a spectacular failure by the Crown Prince. Of course, the loss did not sit well with him, having never needed to learn how to be gracious in losing before. He had instigated a fist fight, to which of course he had also lost.

With each retelling in the changing room the story grew. The other pups laughed and made fun of the Crown Prince’s failure. Yet Chanyeol couldn't join in, it didn't feel right. Boys would boys, and while he couldn't make them stop, he didn't have to take part in it. He forewent his usual shower in the changing room and went back to his dorm.

The Prince was there, lying on his bed, tear stains on his face. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the Prince turned over and faced the wall. Chanyeol silently made his way their bathroom and took his shower. He took longer than usual, trying to figure out what to say, what to do. When he could stall no longer, he finished and dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He found the Crown Prince in much the same way that he had left him in, still facing the wall. He couldn't see his face, but by the second sniffle he knew that he had cried again.

The unthinkable came to Chanyeol, and despite the reminders of his boundaries echoing in his head, he decided to follow through with it. He turned and went back into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit and a wet washcloth.

Slowly, with his footsteps heavy so there was no doubt he was approaching, Chanyeol walked over to the Crown Prince’s bed. Once there he slowly sat down. And then for the first time in their year together, Chanyeol reached out and touched the Prince. He turned him over to look into his eyes. 

Whether from shock or just because he wanted it, the Prince allowed the physical contact. They would never know who made the next move, and in the years since then it would never matter anyway. All that mattered was that in the next moment, Chanyeol had the Crown Prince in the strongest hug his arms could manage. The Prince started to cry again, and all Chanyeol could do was hold him closer, whispering that it was okay, that everything would be alright.

When he had finally calmed down, Chanyeol set about wiping away the Crown Prince’s tears with the washcloth. Then he gingerly patched up his split lip. The Prince, like all royalty tends to do, did not make it easy for him. Like water bursting from a dam, the Prince decided that he would choose that moment to finally begin to really talk to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol, of course, listened. Only responding with nods and grunts to show that he was listening. He did utter a few “hold stills” and “turn this ways,” but he let the Prince have his say. 

And his say he did have. The Prince voiced all his frustrations and all of his worries. He talked about the pressure he felt to be the perfect student, the perfect son, the perfect prince. He even talked about his deceased appa, the Alpha King’s first husband, and how he felt pressured to uphold his memory and legacy, going so far as to take his family name as his own. And while still worlds apart, Chanyeol could relate just a little bit. Because he too felt pressured to be the perfect student, the perfect son, the perfect roommate. And in that moment, Chanyeol realized something.

“You don't have to be perfect,” he told the Prince. “All that you have to be, is you, Your Highness. Be true to yourself. Be the best you there is. Let people see the amazing person that you are, and it will be more than enough.”

Then Chanyeol coaxed the Prince into showing him what had really happened. They used pencils instead of swords, eraser side pointing out. Chanyeol let the Prince win the first time, but he would win the next four. It was enough for Chanyeol to figure out what the problem was. While his form was correct, the Prince was slow in moving. Fencing isn't about just having the proper forms, but being able to use them as well. Chanyeol, being gracious in victory, told him so.

And just like that, they were friends.

-

Just before the Prince left for the summer holiday, he asked for a small favor. “Chanyeol,” he had said. Chanyeol noted that the Prince had left out the style “Master” before saying his name. It could have been disrespectful, but the hope in the Prince’s eyes meant that it wasn't. “Say my name,” he had said.

Chanyeol knew his given name, everyone did. But he had never said it to the Prince’s face before. Not until then. “Prince Joonmyun,” he said.

“You can drop the Prince. We’re friends now.”

Chanyeol nodded, but he knew he wouldn't obey the command. There was still some boundaries he shouldn't cross.

As he left, Joonmyun called out over his shoulder. He invited him over to the Palace, saying that he would love to introduce him to his brother.

Unbidden, Chanyeol’s eyes made their way over to the Crown Prince’s desk. Joonmyun had left the picture of his younger brother. Chanyeol walked over and picked it up, staring at the smiling pup.

He ended up taking it home himself. It was just so it wouldn't get lost, he thought to himself. But maybe the real reason was that there was something about it. Something in the picture had captured him, had taken him in. It was only right that he take it too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Chanyeol never made it to the palace that summer. He hadn't really believed that Joonmyun had meant it when he'd extended the invitation. They’d only begun to open up to each other during their last week together. Could they really call what they had a friendship? Could they ever call it a friendship when Joonmyun was the Crown Prince, and Chanyeol the mere son of a Lord of little consequence? He actually expected things to return to the way they had been when they returned for school two months later.

He was mistaken.

Joonmyun shattered what was left of the walls that had once separated them the moment he saw Chanyeol. He came out of nowhere, jumping up and knocking him down onto the floor and licking his face in excitement. Chanyeol was caught off guard, and it wasn't until he had taken in a good, deep breath that he recognized the scent of the sandy colored pup who had tackled him. He realized that in their entire year together, Chanyeol had never seen Joonmyun in his wolf form before. An oddity because most pups needed to shift and let out some energy with some degree of regularity.

Chanyeol gently pushed Joonmyun off of him and sat up and Joonmyun pranced around him. It was all very unprince-like. A voice called out for the Crown Prince. Chanyeol recognized it as that of Donghae, Joonmyun’s governor. Even in his wolf form, Chanyeol could see the surprise and alarm in Joonmyun’s eyes.

They took off together, Joonmyun on four legs and Chanyeol on two, running for the safety of their room. Chanyeol, being the one with two hands at the moment, opened the door and Joonmyun rushed in before he followed. He closed it and locked it for good measure.

When he turned around, Chanyeol found Joonmyun standing on his bed, messing up the comforter. He pranced on all four paws for a moment before leaping into the air.

Chanyeol had expected to catch a pup. But Joonmyun had shifted in midair and he ended up with arms full of an eleven year old boy. The unexpectedness of it, plus the difference in size, pushed Chanyeol back and they went sprawling on the floor. With some work, they managed to untangle their limbs and sit up, laughing through it all. Joonmyun launched into immediate claims of having missed Chanyeol and how bored he'd been without him.

They moved to sit on a bed, Chanyeol’s of course, since Joonmyun had already made a mess of it. Joonmyun seemed oblivious to the fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes. They spent the next twenty minutes catching up, cramming as many stories in as possible. Then the sound of the door being unlocked sent Joonmyun scrambling for something to cover his nakedness. Chanyeol moved to put himself between the Prince and whoever it was that was entering without permission.

It was Donghae, because who else would have the code to their dorm. He had a look of admonition on his face as he held out what Chanyeol assumed to be the torn and ruined clothes that Joonmyun had been wearing earlier.

Joonmyun peaked out from behind Chanyeol and apologized. He'd gotten excited, he said, when he had seen Chanyeol from across the school.

That was when Chanyeol learned that the Crown Prince had trouble controlling his wolf. He'd been put on suppressants the previous year, which explained the lack of Joonmyun in wolf form, but the Alpha King had decided to wean Joonmyun off of them. Taking suppressants for too long - especially during adolescence - could result in irreversible side effects.

Donghae swore Chanyeol to secrecy on the matter and Chanyeol vowed not to divulge the information to anyone. It was a vow that Chanyeol would keep for long after Joonmyun learned to control his wolf. Even now, years later, Chanyeol had yet to tell a soul of the trouble Joonmyun’s lack of control had caused back then. He did, of course, bring it up when they were in private, laughing and jesting all in the name of good natured fun. After all, what we're friends for?

-

From the outside, their second year together passed much the same as their first. A new set of classes and new subjects to master, yet all with much the same routine. But inside, within the walls of their shared room, the year passed entirely differently.

Between the four walls there was now laughter and excitement. Where before there had been boundaries there now stood none. Now they studied together, did their homework together, and trained together. Joonmyun still had his fencing lessons alone, but within the privacy of their room Chanyeol would spar with him. He was likely the only one who truly pushed the Prince to hone his skills.

Joonmyun’s wolf usually made at least one appearance during those sessions. Joonmyun would get frustrated, would begin to lose his focus, and then in the next instant shift and lunge at Chanyeol. It only took one instance of Joonmyun’s jaws clamped onto Chanyeol's forearm for Chanyeol to learn to watch for the warning signs. He learned to quickly dodge Joonmyun’s lunges or shift into his own wolf form.

Those moments of Joonmyun’s lapse of control were the easiest to hide, for in truth there was no need to hide them at all. No one dared enter their room, few even dared to knock on their door. Chanyeol supposed that if he wanted to he could invite some of his other friends over. But the dorm was the only sanctuary that Joonmyun had. It was the only place that he was merely Joonmyun, not Joonmyun, the Crown Prince of Goryeo, and Chanyeol could never take that away from him.

It was the moments outside of their dorm that were difficult to hide. Especially since they were only pups of eleven years of age. Had they been older and wiser, Chanyeol supposed, they would have known what to do. At the very least their excuses would have made more sense. The main problem when Joonmyun made an unwanted shift was not always being able to shift back on command. It was as if his wolf, having made its presence known, was reluctant to be caged again. 

Joonmyun’s wolf was still small, so if he shifted slowly and deliberately he could actually maneuver himself and manage not to rip any of his clothes. But Joonmyun almost never shifted by choice. More than a few sets of the Academy’s uniform were torn and shredded from an unwanted shift. He took to carrying around an extra set of pants in his bag so that he'd at least have something to wear. For a shirt, Chanyeol literally gave him the shirt off his back. He always wore a t-shirt under his button down. Back then it worked since they were actually the same size. Their teachers would give Chanyeol a look when he sat in class without a collared shirt, but none of them would actually say anything.

Eventually, just as when they sparred in their room, Chanyeol learned to recognize the warning signs of an unwanted shift, learned to detect the subtle shift in Joonmyun’s sent that told of his shifting mood. Chanyeol would quietly reach out to lightly touch the Prince, sometimes even giving his hand a squeeze if he could manage to do so without being seen by anyone else. At first the touch did nothing, but in time Joonmyun learned to heed the warning. By year’s end he was even able to reign in a shift, gaining some measure of control over his wolf.

But not always.

One day in the library, while trying to rewrite an essay for his literature class - the original had been returned a sea of red ink - Chanyeol was pulled out of his concentration by a paw on his knee. He looked down to find Joonmyun in his wolf form under the table. He nudged Chanyeol's leg with his nose and let out a soft whine. Chanyeol quietly packed his things and led the way back to their room.

An impatient Joonmyun nuzzled his leg as they walked. When they got to their door Chanyeol reached down to scratch behind his ears as he punched in the code to unlock it. When it opened Joonmyun rushed inside and proceeded to leap up onto Chanyeol’s bed, circling round its edge.

As he put his things down Chanyeol heard Joonmyun’s wolf whine transform into a human groan of frustration. Chanyeol himself let out a huff of air as he grabbed the wipes off Joonmyun’s desk. Usually, he was able to intercept the Prince before he made it onto the bed so he could clean off whatever dirt he'd stepped in as a wolf. He preferred to do it before Joonmyun shifted back into a human. It was easier to wipe down four paws than two hands and two feet. But not today.

Joonmyun let Chanyeol clean up his limbs, first his hands, then his bare feet. When it was done he thrashed about on the bed, pulling the comforter loose. Chanyeol found Joonmyun a pair of briefs to wear and helped the Prince into them. Then he toed off his shoes and climbed into bed, sitting against the headboard. Joonmyun placed his head in Chanyeol’s lap and Chanyeol ran his fingers through his hair, sitting quietly, waiting for the Crown Prince to tell him what had happened.

It was Minho again. It usually was. Still, Joonmyun had gotten better at not letting Minho get to him, so it surprised Chanyeol that Joonmyun had lost control. But then Joonmyun revealed the main reason for his unwanted shift. The pup had gone and told Joonmyun that even if he was the oldest he wasn't going to be the next King, his younger brother would. Because Joonmyun was a screwup. Why else would the Alpha King send him away to the Academy? He had a new husband with a new pup to succeed him, even if that pup was “softblood.”

It was that comment that had pushed the Crown Prince into a rage. He had achieved success on drawing blood this time, biting into the flesh of Minho’s upper arm. There would no doubt be consequences, light ones if the headmaster could manage to keep Minho’s parents out of the picture. But Joonmyun would have to serve some sort of penance.

That, though, would come later. For now, Joonmyun let himself be a normal, emotional young pup. “Kyungie’s not softblood.” He whimpered.

Softblood. The insult was given to alphas who behaved unalpha-like, to alphas who didn't take charge, weren't strong and forceful, who were, for lack of a better word, soft. 

Chanyeol looked over at the Crown Prince’s desk. A new picture of the younger Prince was there. Another year older, but the same wide eyes, the same heart-shaped smile. And yes, so delicate and precious-looking that it brought out a protective instinct in Chanyeol, despite having never met the pup himself. His own wolf wanted to rage. He found himself having to take more than one deep, slow breath to try and calm his wolf. It was an unfamiliar feeling, never before did he have a problem with controlling his wolf. They had always played nice with each other. Yet the thought that someone had even thought of the Young Prince as being softblood had him losing his always strong grip.

“Of course not,” Chanyeol whispered gently. He didn't know what else to say. He was only eleven. Had he been older, or if given a chance to go back now, he’d have the words. But back then he didn't. All he had were empty assurances that were based on nothing.

-

Bathroom duty. That was the punishment that was decided for both Joonmyun and Minho. The two were not amused, though Chanyeol himself found the situation to be so. He was sure that neither pup had ever cleaned a bathroom before and he had to fight the urge to help his Prince. Or rather, he had been told in no uncertain terms by Headmaster Kangta not to intervene. But when the clock had reached 3 PM on that Saturday afternoon and Joonmyun still hadn't returned to their room, Chanyeol could no longer put off the need to check on them.

He found the pair in the fifth floor common bathroom, so obviously out of their element with scrub brushes and buckets in their hands. It didn't seem like any new altercations had happened during their time together, but the air was heavy with more than just the humidity of a dozen showers. Joonmyun’s shirt was more wet than it really needed to be, clinging to his thin frame. Minho’s hung on a hook near the sinks. Without a shirt, the marks Joonmyun had left on his upper right arm were clearly visible. A week's worth of healing had left them mostly closed up, ready to turn into scars that would eventually fade with time. 

They were just about ready to spray down the shower area, to rinse the place clean of suds and dirt, the last step before being able to call it a day. Chanyeol made himself useful and turned the water for the hose on. He picked up the nozzle and was about to help them by starting the rinsing process when a sudden thought came to him.

He aimed for the two figures on their knees on the far end of the bathroom and briefly squeezed the handle. It was just a misting. The two adversaries looked at each other, unsure if they had really felt it. But the second blast was harder, unmistakable as anything but someone pointing a hose at them. They both looked back at him, surprise in their eyes as they noticed his presence for the first time.

Chanyeol smiled mischievously before squeezing the handle all the way down. The two scrambled to get out of the blast of water, but Chanyeol didn't let go of the handle. He swung the nozzle back and forth between the two.

Minho shouted at Chanyeol for him to stop. But he didn't. Instead, he focused his attention on Minho while Joonmyun stood off the to side, wiping the water out of his face with his hands. It was only fair, Chanyeol thought. He was the reason that Joonmyun had gotten punished in the first place. His eleven year-old mind placed all the blame solely on Minho instead of realizing that some of it, if one looked at it objectively, could be given to Joonmyun as well.

Minho let out a warning growl but Chanyeol chose to ignore it, keeping the hose pointed at him. Then Minho lunged at him, shifting midair into his wolf form. He’d been too far to reach Chanyeol in one leap, and that allowed Chanyeol to maneuver and still keep the hose trained on Minho. But the hose kinked. In the split second that Chanyeol took his attention off of Minho to try to find the kink Minho jumped up and tackled him. Had the floor not been wet he might have been able to maintain his balance, but his slippers had no grip and so they tumbled to the floor.

Joonmyun instantly leapt into action to help, shifting into his wolf as well. He knocked Minho off Chanyeol. Minho retaliated by biting into the hose. Water sprayed out of the puncture marks from his teeth and hit Chanyeol. Then Minho was darting off, shifting back into a human to grab the other hose and point it at Chanyeol. Chanyeol let out a warning of his own before Minho squeezed the trigger. The battle was on, Chanyeol and his Crown Prince against Minho, the adversary.

Growls, yells, barks, shouts, yips, and laughter echoed around in that fifth floor bathroom as the three raced among the shower heads, alternating between wrestling in their wolf forms and trying to drench the others as humans. Soon the two against one battle morphed into every man for himself. Almost every shower head ended up being turned on, some set to hot and others set to cold. The bucket of soapy water ended up being turned over Chanyeol while he was in his wolf form and Minho took great joy in lathering up his silver coat into a sudsy mess.

Chanyeol, being the most in tune with his wolf, was the strongest of the three. Surprisingly, it seemed that if riled up enough Minho had just as much control over his wolf as Joonmyun. This unexpected commonality drew the two together, and in the end, it was Joonmyun and Minho working together to bring down Chanyeol.

The battle ended with all three as wolves. Joonmyun nipped at Chanyeol’s legs and he leaped up to avoid him. But he’d lost track of Minho, allowing him to sneak up and tackle him from the left. It was all over in seconds. Chanyeol pinned on his back by Minho, a paw holding him down and a menacing snarl daring him to move. Joonmyun ran up to their side and let out a warning growl of his own.

Chanyeol whined, submitting to his fate. He was the first to shift back, his soap-lathered silver fur giving way to suds-covered pale skin. Minho shifted next, the pressure on Chanyeol’s chest increasing with the increased weight of Minho's human form. He wore a blank expression before an amused half smile took its place.

Minho stood to his feet, using the hand on Chanyeol’s chest to push himself up and forcing a grunt out of him. He stepped back into the spray from one of the showers and quickly rinsed himself. He turned it off before walking over to retrieve his slippers from where they'd fallen during his initial shift. His shorts, unfortunately, did not survive the shift so he left them where they were. He grabbed a towel from the stand at the entrance to the showers and wrapped it around his waist. He looked back Joonmyun and Chanyeol, smiled that half smile of his again, and then left.

Chanyeol ended up helping Joonmyun rinse down what remained of the soap on the walls before they rinsed themselves down and called it a day. Headmaster Kangta didn't say a word when they returned the cleaning supplies, not about Chanyeol’s presence or the fact that were only wearing towels around their waists.

When they got back to their dorm, Joonmyun flopped onto his bed, exhausted from a full day of working. “Kyungie’s not going to believe me when I tell him what they made me do,” he said.

Chanyeol merely smiled and shook his head, but his eyes drifted over to the picture on the Crown Prince's desk. No, the little Prince probably wouldn't. Chanyeol had a hard time believing it himself.

-

Joonmyun left the picture of his brother behind again. Before he left for the summer Joonmyun had once again invited Chanyeol over to the palace. Chanyeol said that he'll ask his father, fully intending to follow through this time.

Joonmyun left the picture, and Chanyeol took it home again. He meant to return the first one, and he meant to return this one as well. He never does.


	3. Chapter 3

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

He had really meant it when he'd said he'd ask his father if he could visit the Crown Prince at the palace over the summer. But his father had said no, something about the Royal Family making an extended tour of the Kingdom for the three months that they were out for the summer.

Their journey had been plastered all over the news that summer. It seemed like every day there were pictures of the Alpha King and his mate either making visits or out on some fun-filled adventure. Sometimes, when out on the later of the two, Joonmyun would also be in the picture. For most people it was their first real look at the Crown Prince. Chanyeol clipped the pictures, keeping them in a notebook to show and ask Joonmyun about when they saw each other in the fall. They really weren't the best photos of him. Joonmyun was never the focus of them, never caught facing the camera. It seemed the media was doing their best to obey the reigning couple’s wishes that their children be shielded as much as possible.

But they couldn't be hidden away forever. The Crown Prince was reaching adolescence. Soon enough he'd present, and then not long after he'd be deemed an adult. He'd have to learn to navigate the press and their evils eventually. Still, for now they kept him protected, visible at the sides of his ruling parents but never spoken about or mentioned in any of the captions.

One photo in particular caught Chanyeol's attention. Joonmyun was smiling at a boy, only the back of his head visible in the picture. And even though he had nothing to base it on, Chanyeol was sure that the boy was Kyungsoo. There was something about the warmth that was in Joonmyun's eyes that told him so.

The picture had come out right after the announcement that the younger Prince would also be attending the Academy in the fall. Once again the was a firestorm of who would be the lucky pup to be a prince’s roommate. Chanyeol didn't care much who it was. He only hoped that whoever the boy was he'd cherish the young Prince as much as Chanyeol cared for the Crown Prince. Maybe he'd need to give a talk to whoever the pup would be.

That thought entered his mind again as he walked through the campus pulling his suitcase behind him, duffle bag slung over one shoulder, his knapsack over the other. An accident had tied up the trains so he was six hours late in arriving. Classes didn't start for another two days, but he was eager to see Joonmyun again, eager to hear his stories.

He knew that the Crown Prince was already there because he'd seen the flags atop the library’s observatory. Many large, important places would fly a royal flag whenever a member of the royal family was there. Even though Joonmyun attended the Academy they didn’t usually fly one, only on special days, and even then they only flew it beneath the Goryeo flag. Today however the royal flag was flying above the Goryeo flag, and it had a red border. That meant that King Yunho, the Alpha King himself, was here.

Chanyeol quickly navigated his way towards the dorm he shared with the Crown Prince. He punched in the code to unlock the door and dropped his bags. His bed was already messed up, but then again Joonmyun was always messing it up. He debated whether to unpack now or to save that for later and run off to find Joonmyun. But if the Alpha King was here it would be best to show himself a good roommate and take care of the important things first, so unpack before playing it was.

He kicked off his shoes and started to unpack. As he knelt on the floor next to his bags he caught a subtle, sweet scent. It was kind of like the cookies that his mother would bake for him, except spicier. He took in a deep breath and turned to follow it. Only then did Chanyeol realize that the lumps in his bed weren't pillows, but a boy, the covers pulled up over his head. He was sleeping, if the steady rise and fall movement was any indication.

Slowly, cautiously, Chanyeol crept over to the side of his bed and pulled back the covers to reveal raven black hair. Gently, he pulled it back more, revealing a perfect angelic face.

_Kyungsoo._

His mouth formed the name, but no sound crossed his lips. As if in slow motion, Chanyeol reached out and reverently smoothed the hair out of the sleeping boy’s face. Kyungsoo instinctively leaned into Chanyeol’s touch.

What was he doing here? Why was the young Prince sleeping in his bed? Was he being replaced as Joonmyun’s roommate? Before Chanyeol could think of an answer the tell-tale beeping of someone punching in the code to unlock the door sent him scrambling to look like he was doing anything other than staring at the young Prince as he slept.

Joonmyun walked in first, followed by his father. The Alpha King’s gaze briefly met with Chanyeol’s before Chanyeol lowered his eyes. Joonmyun, however, paid him no attention. His attention was instead wrapped up in arguing with his father. It was surprisingly civilized and mature, the volume low so as not to disturb the sleeping young Prince.

Apparently Kyungsoo had been assigned a normal dorm room. Joonmyun didn't like that. His brother deserved every right and privilege that he had. Not only was the room smaller than the room he and Chanyeol shared, but without a private bathroom as well. Kyungsoo would have to use the common bathroom with the rest of the students. And that, in Joonmyun's eyes, was the bigger disgrace. 

Unfortunately, no other teacher’s rooms were available, a point the Alpha King said aloud to his son. The way he slightly tilted his head to side told Chanyeol that it was a point he had already made, probably many times over. Joonmyun was being stubborn, likely repeating his arguments. So maybe it wasn't quite a mature disagreement, but it impressed Chanyeol to see Joonmyun argue passionately for something he believed in, digging his heels in to draw a line in the sand.

Even more so impressive was watching the Alpha King stand unyielding in the face of his persistent son. The Academy had already made accommodations for the Crown Prince. It simply lacked the resources to do the same for the younger Prince. Some things, as Yunho put it, are simply facts that cannot be changed, only made the best of. Kyungsoo would have to use the common bathroom like everyone else.

Joonmyun let out a grunt of exasperation, the first truly loud sound since he and his father had entered. It caused the sleeping Prince to stir. But Chanyeol was more concerned with something else stirring.

He quietly crept to stand next to Joonmyun and reached out with his hand. He lightly brushed his pinky against Joonmyun’s before intertwining them together. Joonmyun barely glanced back at Chanyeol before blinking rapidly.

Yunho straightened and squared his head as he watched his son reign in an unwanted appearance from his wolf. There was no emotion on his face, but no longer did it look unyielding. Aside from Kyungsoo stirring from his sleep, no other sounds filled the room for a moment. Joonmyun took in deep breaths, calming his wolf back into submission to his human, more rational side. When he deemed himself calm enough he lowered his head in a sign of deference to his father. Still, his voice was clear and strong when he voiced his opinion. “It's not fair,” he said.

The left side of the Alpha King’s face rose up in a sign of amusement. He explained that no it wasn't, but it's what they had to work with. Any further comment from the Crown Prince was cut off when Kyungsoo sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Realizing his father was in the room he crawled to the edge of bed and held out his arms to be held, a cry of happiness filling the air.

The Alpha King obliged his younger son, moving to pick him up and rest him on his hip. The young prince preened in the embrace of his father, and he leaned back to ask a question. But the question never left his lips once he noticed Chanyeol. His eyes went wide in shock and he buried his face in the crook of his father’s neck.

The Alpha King chuckled at the sudden shyness of his son. Only then did he address Chanyeol, apologizing for one son’s timidity and another’s brashness.

Chanyeol offered his formal greetings to the Alpha King, bowing deeply. He told him that no apology was necessary. He’s ashamed to admit that he had stuttered. Somehow the thought that he would ever get the opportunity to speak to the Alpha King had escaped him. Sure he'd met the parents of a few of his other friends, but the Alpha King himself had seemed like a far off figure, someone whose circle would surely never intersect with his.

Yunho tried to get Kyungsoo to say a proper greeting in return. But all the shy Prince managed was a quiet “Hullo”.

Chanyeol took in the the sight of the Royal Family, of the King and his two sons. They were in coordinated outfits, different yet obviously made to match, their family crest prominently visible. Kyungsoo’s clothing was slightly wrinkled from his nap, but they looked the picture of a happy family. Except for Joonmyun, he was still upset over his brother’s room assignment.

Just as he still is to this day, if Chanyeol could do anything to help make his friend happy he would. So Chanyeol offered to switch places with the young prince, to room in a normal dorm like everyone else his peerage.

Shock instantly filled Joonmyun’s face, but before he could say anything Yunho beat him to it. He shot down the proposal instantly, said it would create more problems than solving any. While the name of Kyungsoo’s roommate had not yet been made public, many in power already knew. It wouldn't look good for Chanyeol to move out and Kyungsoo to take his place. Claims of favoritism would fly. It made Chanyeol feel guilty for making such a stupid suggestion. He was only twelve, of course he wouldn't understand the complexities of politics. Who was he to think he could offer suggestions to the Alpha King?

But the Alpha King was gracious, thanking Chanyeol for his thoughtfulness with a smile that made Chanyeol realize who Joonmyun had inherited his from. It gave him the courage to voice yet another suggestion. If it was such a big deal that Kyungsoo had to share a bathroom with the others, then why couldn't he simply use theirs?

This idea was better received, the Alpha King actually considering it for a moment. But he let Joonmyun make the final decision. Joonmyun did, of course, agree with the suggestion, but it is clear he would rather Kyungsoo have had a bathroom of his own.

With the matter done and settled, Yunho set Kyungsoo on his feet, told the young Prince to say his gratitude. He did, saying, “Thank you, hyung,” before being led off to get settled in his own room. It was probably just a mistake, the way the term of familiarity fell from his lips, just a slip of the tongue. But a warm feeling settled in Chanyeol nonetheless. He bowed low as they left. When he looked up, he saw Kyungsoo glance back at him just before they rounded the corner to take the stairs one flight down. It was only for a moment, but their eyes met, and Chanyeol couldn't help the half-smile that took over his face, lingering long after the King and Prince had disappeared from sight.

-

Kyungsoo’s roommate was a young pup named Baekhyun. He was the complete opposite of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was calm, gentle, and pure. He was quiet and reserved until you got to know him, and even then a boy of few words. But Baekhyun was loud, talked too much, full of mischief, and more than a bit untidy. In the years since he has only outgrown the last of those things, and only just barely. But he is and always was loyal to a fault.

Baekhyun’s family was close friends and allies of Royal Family, specifically with Changmin, the King’s Mate. Chanyeol thought the choice odd at first. The Alpha King had taken great care when selecting his eldest son’s roommate and yet it seemed that same care hadn't been taken with his youngest. But then he’d met the pup and realized that maybe the choice had been made to save the Academy from the terrors that would have surely happened had Baekhyun been allowed to room with his best friend Jongdae. The two managed to get into enough trouble as it was.

Kyungsoo was already well acquainted with the two, already had a friendship between them. As such, one would think that this would have saved him from being the primary victim of their antics. But no, unfortunately Kyungsoo was often the one to bear the brunt of their deeds. Chanyeol found himself feeling sorry for the pup, thought him a saint for somehow putting up with the two.

He'd brought it up to Joonmyun once after he'd loaned his shirt and jacket to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s own uniform had gotten drenched by a bucket of water. The clothes were too big for him, but Chanyeol wasn't going to let the Prince sit in class with wet clothes. Joonmyun’s response had been to look at Chanyeol for a moment before simply stating that it was something that Kyungsoo would have to learn to settle on his own.

The Crown Prince, apparently, was afraid of the two. Chanyeol, however, wasn't and told them so the next chance he saw them without Kyungsoo nearby. He was rewarded by waking up to one set of his uniform dyed pink. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, woke up to an entire wardrobe dyed pink.

It was a warning, a subtle one but a warning nonetheless. Chanyeol was never one to back down, but some days later, as he searched for the two to reiterate himself, he witnessed something that made him reconsider the two. 

From his vantage point on the elevated walkways he saw some of the other first years ganging up to tease the young Prince about how pretty he looked in pink, almost as pretty as a girl. It made him angry, and he had been about to rush off to tell the boys off, but Baekhyun and Jongdae beat him to it. They made it clear in no uncertain terms that no one was allowed to make fun of the young Prince, no one was allowed to touch him.

As Chanyeol watched Jongdae lead Kyungsoo off to their next class, Baekhyun looked up at him and their eyes met. Chanyeol had lowered and raised his head, a single nod in slow motion. An unspoken understanding settled between them. Just as Chanyeol stood in defense of Joonmyun, the two would stand for Kyungsoo. Sure, Baekhyun and Jongdae often had fun at the young Prince’s expense, but it was all done with full affection and friendship. And they wouldn't let anything happen to the young Prince. He was theirs alone to torment. 

Still, Chanyeol needed to let them know that there were still lines that shouldn't be crossed. Because while they might have protected Kyungsoo, someone needed to protect the young prince from them. Chanyeol decided that someone was him. Baekhyun and Jongdae woke up to a single set of their own uniforms dyed to match Kyungsoo’s. He hadn't expected the two to actually wear them, they had another four sets perfectly clean and unblemished, yet the two proudly wore them that day as if they were badges of honor. The entire Academy buzzed for weeks trying to figure out who had dared pull a prank on the twin terrors. As far as he knew, no one had ever linked the deed to back to Chanyeol, not even Joonmyun.

-

They may not have shared the same appa, but that never once mattered. Kyungsoo absolutely adored his older brother. And Joonmyun felt the exactly the same about Kyungsoo. Whatever the young Prince asked of him he was more than willing to provide. Thankfully, Kyungsoo was a good kid and never once abused his brother’s love for him. On those rare occasions that Joonmyun told him no, Kyungsoo would accept the decision with a grace that made him seem even more mature than he already did. Except, that is, for one request.

Kyungsoo liked to get his feet rubbed. It was the one thing that he craved. And the one request that Joonmyun absolutely refused to grant.

It had taken Chanyeol some time before he actually figured out just what it was that Kyungsoo wanted. At first it was a look that Kyungsoo would get in his eyes. Joonmyun would immediately tell him no. A month later, Kyungsoo would let out a whine and say “please”, the single word heavy with so much hidden in it. It wasn't until three months after school had started that he had actually voiced his need out loud.

At first Joonmyun had told him to do it himself. But of course, some things never felt the same if you did them for yourself. So Joonmyun had told him to ask someone else. Kyungsoo refused to do so. He said it was weird and that he didn't want just anyone touching him.

Once, on a lazy Saturday playing games on the big screen television in the one of the dorm’s common areas, Kyungsoo had even swung up his socked feet into Joonmyun’s lap. Joonmyun had merely given him a pointed look and pushed his feet away. Kyungsoo looked like a kicked puppy, even more so when he had shifted into his wolf so slowly that he was left buried in his clothes.

The sight had moved something within Chanyeol. He ended up changing his seat to lift the pup into his lap. Chanyeol spent most of that afternoon running his hand down Kyungsoo's distinctive jet black fur, petting the pup to make him feel better. It must have worked, because the pup snuggled in and refused to move the rest of the evening.

Still, it wasn't until a full six months had passed that the young prince had actually broken down and cried about it. Chanyeol had been the last to shower. He usually went last, a small reminder that he was the lowest ranked of them. Upon exiting the bathroom, he found Kyungsoo lying on his back on the floor while Joonmyun sat in his chair attempting to read a book. He wasn't being very successful because his focus was distracted with fending off his brother’s attempts at putting his feet in the elder’s lap.

Kyungsoo pleaded with his brother, the growing desperation distorting his voice to sound like a petulant child. But Joonmyun was resolute. For a moment Chanyeol was reminded of how the Alpha King had stood with similar resolve to Joonmyun's own desires at the start of the school year. Then he heard something that broke his twelve-year-old heart.

“Please, hyung. My feet are clean. I just washed them. Please.”

It wasn't the words. It was the way they fell from Kyungsoo’s lips, broken and stuttered as the pup began to sob.

Joonmyun turned to look down at his brother. His eyes softened, but the resolve within them never wavered. A heart-wrenching wail filled the room and Kyungsoo got up to run from the room. But he wasn't looking where he was going and ended up colliding with Chanyeol.

Chanyeol was quick to wrap his arms around the pup, more to prevent them from falling over than to comfort him. He looked down at Kyungsoo and uttered words that Joonmyun would forever tell him he should have never said.

“I can do it, Prinsoo,” he said, using Joonmyun’s pet name for the young Prince for the first time ever. “I don't know how, so you'll have to teach me. But I’ll rub your feet for you.”

Kyungsoo looked up at Chanyeol through his tear filled eyes. He didn't say anything, but Chanyeol could see the thoughts circling round in his head. Finally Kyungsoo nodded and slowly pulled himself from Chanyeol's embrace.

Chanyeol moved to sit on his bed, back against the wall while Kyungsoo lay back, bare feet in Chanyeol's lap, head towards the foot of the bed. Kyungsoo’s only direction was to “just rub them.” So Chanyeol took Kyungsoo’s left foot and started to kneed the soles of his foot. It was sort of like a massage, but it lacked the pressure and force. Kyungsoo was unresponsive at first, quietly calming himself from his earlier emotions. But soon enough he began to relax into the movements of Chanyeol's hands. When Chanyeol moved his hold to rub his thumb under the arches of Kyungsoo’s toes the boy let out a noise that could only be described as a pur, as if he were a kitten instead of a pup.

Fifteen minutes in Joonmyun told him he could stop. Kyungsoo, of course, let out a soft whine at the prospect. But Chanyeol just shook his head and kept going. He switched to Kyungsoo’s right foot, leaned back, and closed his eyes, humming a song to fill the silence of the room. An hour later, Joonmyun flicked Chanyeol on his toes and Chanyeol opened his eyes. Kyungsoo was asleep.

Joonmyun reached out to wake him up, no doubt to tell him to go back to his own room. But Chanyeol stopped him. The pup was tired, he thought, so let the boy sleep. Joonmyun just shrugged his shoulders and turned off the lights before climbing into his own bed. Chanyeol carefully got up and pulled the covers back on his bed before gently picking Kyungsoo up and turning him around, placing his head on a pillow. He climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over them.

Sleep was a long time in coming that night, Chanyeol’s mind caught up in tracing the features of Kyungsoo’s face. It was the second time that Kyungsoo had slept in his bed, the first that they were sharing it. His thoughts went back to that day a year ago when he’d comforted Joonmyun after Minho had called Kyungsoo a softblood. Right now as the pup lay sleeping in his bed, the thought that maybe Minho had been right came to mind. But no, he’d seen Kyungsoo in action. Although quiet and gentle, if given the right circumstances and the right motivation he could be a force to reckoned with. Chanyeol decided that they would have to work on that.

Kyungsoo shifted in his sleep, unconsciously stretching out his limbs. When his arm hit Chanyeol, the boy moved in closer instead of moving away. It was as if he had been searching for him, feeling where he was on the bed. Kyungsoo settled his head on Chanyeol's side. Sleep eventually came to him, the sound of Kyungsoo’s breathing a steady pulse in his head.

-

The next day was a Sunday, and they were all supposed to go to the park for a game of ultimate frisbee. Kyungsoo hadn’t bothered to return to his room for clothes, instead borrowing a pair of shorts from his brother and a t-shirt from Chanyeol. It had been starting to get small, an early sign of the growth spurt that would hit him full force by next year. The shorts were returned by the end of the week. But the shirt never was, something that made Chanyeol slightly sad because it had been a favorite. 

By year’s end he would end up taking another two of Chanyeol’s shirts. Chanyeol merely took the picture off the desk, bringing his total to three. Three shirts for three pictures. Chanyeol supposed that made them even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One benefit to cross posting this is that I get to find all the mistakes I somehow missed the first time around. Hopefully I've caught them all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Time passed in its usual measured way, and soon enough it was time to return to school. Having lived through the experience three times already, Chanyeol found that it wasn't much different the fourth time around. Sure, it was a little different every year - this year he arrived a full two days before the Princes - but the big things never changed.

Some of the students had different room assignments every year, others different roommates, and others had both. But not Chanyeol. Chanyeol had the same room assignment and same roommate. Even if the Academy had tried to change it, Chanyeol would have refused. It would have taken Joonmyun himself to make him change. He was, simply put, the Crown Prince’s roommate. It was a label he proudly wore. 

Kyungsoo was one of those students who had both a new room and roommate. His new room was now on the same floor as Joonmyun and Chanyeol and he now roomed with Jongdae instead. It seemed the Academy was trying to find a way to lesson the antics of the two terrors. Chanyeol didn't think it would make a difference, but he guessed the Academy had to try something.

The first day of classes came and went without note and the Academy settled into its usual hum of learning. New this year was wrestling, a slightly less civil pastime than fencing, but one that everyone’s wolf readily welcomed. Joonmyun, of course, received these lessons in private, but he now joined the rest of their year for their fencing sessions.

Everyone had watched with baited breath the first time he had sparred with Minho, eager to see the outcome of a rematch years in the making. Joonmyun had improved greatly, no doubt due in part to their private sparring sessions. He won, to the cheers and applause of everyone watching. But as Minho’s usual sparring partner, only Chanyeol had noticed the slight pause in his rhythm that had been the cause of his defeat. When he walked over to help Minho out of his gear Chanyeol told him not to do “that” again, it wouldn't help Joonmyun if everyone was always taking it easy on him. Minho had merely stared at Chanyeol for a moment before walking off to the locker rooms, muttering something to the effect of “then your Prince had better be ready.” Not quite the reaction that Chanyeol had been hoping for, but at least the outright hostility between Minho and Joonmyun had toned down over the years. They weren't friends, per se, still very much rivals in many ways, but at least Minho no longer went out of his way to antagonize the Crown Prince, much.

As the end of September and the first full moon of the school year drew near, the pups in their year began get excited. It seemed all that they could talk about was the upcoming nightrun, the first that they would be allowed to participate in. They were finally of age to do so without a parent.

Nightruns were held when the full moon was at its peak. It was a time that everyone could let their wolves out and have some fun, giving into the more basic nature of themselves. Participation wasn't mandatory, but a good portion of the Academy did take part in the monthly event. It was enough that classes were always cancelled the day after a nightrun. 

There was only one rule for participating in a nightrun. Many had voiced their disdain for the rule, but it wasn't just an Academy rule. It was an unspoken law of wolfdom, held in common by all wolves the world over: a wolf had to have seen thirteen summer solstices. Any younger and a pup needed to be accompanied by a parent. Since the Academy was a boarding school, it wasn't often that a pup’s parent was there on the night a nightrun was held. Thus, most pups had to wait until they were thirteen. 

The summer solstice was the longest day of the year, the day that the sun was at its strongest. From here on out, the night and the moon would begin to chip away at the sun’s dominance until they reached their zenith on the winter solstice and had to give some of that time back to the sun. That was how wolves counted their years, every summer solstice all wolves were considered to be a year older.

The regular humans, those without a wolf inside them, had a different system. Their years started and began a week or so after the winter solstice. They also waited for the actual anniversary of someone’s birth before considering them a year older. Chanyeol didn't much care for their system, but it was the human system of numbering and naming the days of year that wolves had adopted. It had been an economic reason, if Chanyeol remembered correctly from his History lessons. It was much easier to conduct business if everyone counted and named the days the same way.

However one counted, the excitement in their year was like a wildfire. It consumed everything and was impossible to stop, much to the the chagrin of their teachers. Before last year, Chanyeol and Joonmyun would spend the night watching a movie on Chanyeol’s bed. But then Baekhyun and Jongdae had showed them how to sneak onto the rooftop to watch the proceedings in the light of the moon. After watching everyone rush off into the woods behind the Academy there really wasn't anything to see until everyone would come plodding back sometime before dawn the next morning. But being out in the moonlight and listening to the howls of the participants was undeniably more appealing to their wolves than spending the night indoors.

Chanyeol could see the longing in Kyungsoo’s eyes whenever he was around to hear others talking about it. He was tempted to stay back with Kyungsoo, more to save him from being alone with the two terrors than because of the look in his eyes, or so Chanyeol told himself that was the reason. But Joonmyun wanted to participate, said that he couldn't look weak by sitting out the first nightrun of the year before listing all the things he and Chanyeol would do together that night since they were best friends. It was the first time that Joonmyun had attached the modifier to the word friend when he referred to Chanyeol. And damn if Chanyeol's loyalty was going to let him let the Crown Prince down.

So on the evening of the nightrun, Chanyeol and Joonmyun bid farewell to Kyungsoo before shifting and joining the other participants in the courtyard, mingling about until Headmaster Kangta had let out a long howl to signal the start of the event. Then they rushed off into the woods, their wolves relishing the chance to let loose.

It was sometime just after midnight that Chanyeol caught a whiff of berries. At first he thought nothing of it. After all, there were bound be many types of berries in the woods. But when an errant shift in the wind sent the scent his way again he caught undertones of citrus. Berries and citrus. Baekhyun.

He slowed his run to a slow gait before stopping to turn and look back in the direction of the Academy. He supposed that if they were on the rooftop it was possible that Baekhyun’s scent could reach this far. But when a breeze from behind him brought a faint trace of cream and caramel his heart froze. The scents weren't coming from the Academy. And if Baekhyun and Jongdae weren't there but in the woods, then where was Kyungsoo?

Joonmyun’s playful yip brought him out of his thoughts. Chanyeol looked over and saw him playfully wrestling with Minseok, another pup a year older than them. He had transferred into the Academy this year and Joonmyun had decided to take it upon himself to make the new pup feel welcome. Chanyeol thought it was a good thing that the Crown Prince was reaching out and widening his circle of friends.

Neither of them seemed concerned, but it was more likely that they hadn't scented the slight trace of berries and citrus or cream and caramel on the wind. Chanyeol debated whether or not to follow the scents. But Minseok would keep the Crown Prince busy, so with one last glance at the two he took off in the direction the wind had come from.

He didn't go much faster than a trot, purposely testing each deep breath through his nose in a search for any trace of the three scents. After twenty minutes without another whiff he started to think he had just imagined it all. He was already approaching the edges of Academy’s boundaries. Surely they knew better than to leave the safety of the territory. But another errant breeze brought Jongdae’s distinctive mix of cream and caramel from beyond the boundary. It was stronger and more clear. He was getting closer.

Chanyeol turned to follow the scent. He was rewarded minutes later by whiff of Baekhyun again. The two pups had traveled far and fast, scents barely present on the wind. But soon enough their scents came together, no longer one or the other. And then there was a something else in their scents, something he couldn't identify.

Contrary to popular belief, the ability to pick up another wolf’s feelings through their pheromones was not as easy as many humans thought it to be. Yes, all wolves were born with the ability to some degree. But familiarity with a wolf’s normal scent was key, familiarity and proximity. Over such a distance, most wolves wouldn't have picked it out. For that matter, most wolves wouldn't have scented the two pups in the first place. That was likely the reason that Joonmyun and Minseok had kept on playing. They weren't unconcerned, they were merely unaware.

Chanyeol’s wolf was a strong one. Many of their teachers would often comment that he always had good control over his wolf. But that wasn't exactly it. A more accurate description was that his human and wolf sides played well together, understood each other, and cooperated. Most times, Chanyeol found himself thankful for it, but it seemed that the distance and fleeting nature of the scents were giving his even his well-abled wolf problems.

He quickened his pace, unconcerned with losing the scents now. They were still faint, but they no longer got lost in the wind for very long. And then suddenly, their scents were stronger. Chanyeol realized he had stumbled into the path that they had traveled on. He had found it by accident more than on purpose. 

If they had merely passed on through they would not have left such a trail to follow. But the two had obviously been playing with each other much like Joonmyun and Minseok had been. Such activity had left behind clear marks for Chanyeol to follow: their scent rubbed against a tree trunk, broken shrubbery from crashing through, patches of dirt not long ago disturbed. Some minutes later he realized that he was going in circles, that the pups had been all over the place in their roughhousing, no rhyme or reason, no destination.

He couldn't keep doing that all night. So Chanyeol raised his snout into the air and took in deep breaths. He wished that the Academy had taught him how to actually track someone, but that was taught when wolves turned fifteen, just before most wolves would begin to present. He tested the scents in his snout, trying to pinpoint the direction from which Baekhyun and Jongdae’s scents were more recent, trying to distinguish between their scents that were in the air and on the breeze instead of coming from something that they'd rubbed against. 

Chanyeol set out once again, his steps now slow and cautious. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Being so far from the Academy’s territory and not knowing where the younger pups were didn't help any either. Then there was that unknown element in Baekhyun and Jongdae’s scent. It was only present in their scents that where in the air, not from those nearby.

Another 20 feet and he came across a clearing that overlooked a small outcrop. He stood at the edge a moment and tested the air. He breathed a sigh of relief. Their scents had moved back towards the Academy. He never knew what prompted him to turn and look down the outcrop, but the sight of broken shrubs and branches made Chanyeol pause. Something had fallen over the edge recently.

And then he caught it, a scent familiar to him as his own. Cookies and cinnamon. Kyungsoo.

It seemed as if time had stopped, and it definitely felt as if his heart had stopped, but it quickly restarted in a rush. The burning need to find the little Prince and make sure he was safe had him pacing the edge, looking for a way down.

His instincts took over and Chanyeol let the wolf inside him pick a path to scramble down. Panic started to well up within him when he couldn’t find Kyungsoo at the bottom, but the wolf inside of Chanyeol seized control of him and forced it down. It was the first time that the wolf inside of him had decided to assert its dominance over his human side, the first time that Chanyeol lost control of his wolf. But Chanyeol couldn't care less, all he wanted was to find Kyungsoo.

He circled the area once before following his nose into the underbrush. It wasn't the easiest path and he got scratched up, but he didn't feel any of it. All that he felt was the need to find Kyungsoo. All that mattered was making sure he was all right. Because Chanyeol finally knew what had been coloring Baekhyun and Jongdae’s scents, what was laced with Kyungsoo’s, and what most assuredly was now mixed into his own. It was fear and distress, it was panic and despair.

And then there he was, up against a tree, back in his human form, naked and trembling in the night air, his eyes blown wide in abject terror. Kyungsoo recognized him immediately. Chanyeol was, after all, the only wolf at the Academy with a pure silver coat. The fright in his eyes melted away in an instant, replaced with sheer relief.

“It hurts, hyung,” said Kyungsoo. His lips quivered, and his eyes filled with unshed tears. “It hurts.”

Chanyeol crept forward and nuzzled against Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo's arms reached up and trapped him in a fierce hug, his fingers digging in tightly into Chanyeol’s fur. Chanyeol let the pup hold him for a moment until he felt wetness on his cheeks.

He pulled back and licked at the tears on Kyungsoo’s face. Then he moved to lap at the scrapes and cuts that littered his body, cleaning them in the age old way that wolves did. A particularly long one went across Kyungsoo’s soft stomach and Chanyeol hoped that it wouldn't scar his pale, perfect skin. When he continued down to Kyungsoo’s legs, Kyungsoo suddenly stiffened in pain. Chanyeol pulled back to get a better view.

His right ankle was swollen, the ankle bone lost in the swelling. Chanyeol gently went back to work cleaning all of Kyungsoo’s cuts and scrapes. He tried not to press too hard, but Kyungsoo still let out a bunch of whimpers. Only when he was done did Chanyeol shift back into his human form.

They stared at each other for a moment. He could see Kyungsoo trying to keep himself together, trying to be strong, like an alpha would. Joonmyun had been coaching him on it this past year. Ordinarily Chanyeol would be fully on board with it, but this wasn't an ordinary situation. Kyungsoo was hurt and afraid, and he was still just a pup.

Chanyeol gently lifted Kyungsoo up and sat in his spot, holding the boy in his lap. “I got you, Prinsoo,” Chanyeol whispered softly against his hair. “I got you. Hyung is here. Everything is gonna be okay.”

He repeated it over and over like a mantra, each time slowly getting softer until it was more a thought that a whisper. He held the pup as he cried his silent tears, quiet hiccups the only reply he got in return. When he'd finally quieted down he shifted Kyungsoo so he could pull his left foot up into his hands without hurting his right ankle. He hoped it was a just a sprain and that it wasn't broken.

They sat like that for a long time, the moon making her way across the dark night sky. Chanyeol rubbing the sole of Kyungsoo’s left foot, hoping the familiar feeling would calm him. There was no way Kyungsoo would be able to walk back and Chanyeol wasn't about to attempt to carry him back in the dark. The full moon gave off plentiful light, but he wasn't going to take any chances with the young Prince. He tried to get Kyungsoo to sleep, but it was a long time in coming for either of them.

-

During the night, Kyungsoo had started to shiver in the cool autumn air, so Chanyeol had gently set the sleeping pup down and shifted back into his wolf form before curling up against the young Prince. His fur would provide more warmth than his bare human skin. Kyungsoo had immediately nestled against him, even somehow managed to bury his face into Chanyeol’s neck.

Whether it had been from physical exertion or the mental exhaustion of his ordeal the night before, Kyungsoo took a long time wake up. Chanyeol hadn't had it in him to wake the sleeping pup, so he had lain as still as possible, even when his muscles screamed at him to get up and stretch. Only after Kyungsoo had woken up by his own accord did Chanyeol move, shifting back into his human form.

Chanyeol made the entire journey back to the Academy with Kyungsoo on his back. He knew the pup was still in pain and was no doubt getting hungry, so he tried to take his mind off of it all by filling the silence of the woods with his voice. Kyungsoo was silent through most of it, which wasn't really anything new. Kyungsoo could be a talker, mostly when it was the three of them, just the two Princes and Chanyeol, and sometimes when the two terrors were there was well, but otherwise he was usually quiet. Chanyeol had coached him to posture himself a bit more assuredly, more proud and noble, that way he didn't look so timid and shy all the time. Maybe it was a family thing because even though Joonmyun talked more than Kyungsoo, Chanyeol had had to teach Joonmyun how to hold himself that way as well. The change in posture had made the Crown Prince seem more diplomatic, like he was actually a reigning monarch instead of learning how to be one.

Eventually they crossed back into Academy lands. Still, Chanyeol took the journey slowly but steadily. He didn't want to jar Kyungsoo more than necessary. When he had run out of things to say, Chanyeol switched to filling the silence with his songs. Here, Kyungsoo joined him, letting their voices fill the woods with their melodies. He even began to suggest and sing some songs of his own. Chanyeol loved it when the young Prince sang. Chanyeol thought it was the most perfect voice he'd ever heard, the way it was so silky, so smooth.

He heard them long before either of them came into view, in the small silence that fell between songs. Jongdae appeared first, being the faster of the two, but Baekhyun was only seconds behind. They raced up to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo as fast as their four legs could carry them, yips filling the air with excitement. Chanyeol stopped them before they could come too close, his throat letting out a growl that was more wolf-like than human. The two pups skid to a halt before they before they could knock Chanyeol and Kyungsoo over.

They quickly shifted back into eleven year old boys, a hundred words spilling out all at once. Chanyeol crouched down to let Kyungsoo slide off his back. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure the pup was steady on his own.

When he turned to face Baekhyun and Jongdae, his wolf rose up within him. Chanyeol decided he wasn’t going to hold it back. It only took seconds before Chanyeol had picked up and thrown Baekhyun and Jongdae. He was upon them only moments later, hoisting the two stunned pups against a tree, high enough that their feet were dangling in the air.

The two immediately spilled out apologies, tears flowing unhindered from their eyes. “We’re sorry. We didn't mean for anything to happen.” “He was right behind us, I don't know what happened.” “We tried to find him, we looked for him all night.” “It was so dark and we didn't really know where we were.” “It won't happen again.” “We promise.”

Chanyeol let out a growl. And then he told them in no uncertain terms that no, it most definitely wouldn’t ever happen again. He spoke the words so softly he might as well have whispered them. But there was no way they missed them, their eyes wide with fright. He lowered them to the ground, making sure to keep their backs against the tree so that they got scraped up. Distracted by the pain, the two were unprepared for when Channel knocked their heads against each other. And then, satisfied that he'd made his point and gotten to dispense some pain and punishment, Chanyeol’s wolf sunk back down.

They spent the rest of the journey back to the red-bricked halls of the Academy rehearsing the story they’d tell Headmaster Kangta. That the pups had entered the forest that morning, wanting to have a run of their own since they were barred from participating in the nightrun. An argument had ensued between Baekhyun and Jongdae and Kyungsoo had gotten hurt trying to break it up. Chanyeol had merely happened across them on his way back to the Academy, having fallen asleep during the nightrun.

He made the pups practice telling the story, making sure that they used their own words so that the stories were all slightly different, as if they were truly recalling it from their memories instead of reciting it from a prepared script. Of course, Headmaster Kangta was furious when they returned. His grilling questions flew fast and furious, and Chanyeol suspected that he knew they were not telling the truth. But Chanyeol knew that neither Baekhyun nor Jongdae would break, and he certainly wouldn't either. For a moment Chanyeol had thought that Kyungsoo would give in under the alpha’s piercing gaze. But Kyungsoo kept his eyes averted and whined about his ankle, prompting the Headmaster to hurry them on towards the infirmary.

His prayers that Kyungsoo’s ankle wasn't broken were somehow answered. All the young Prince had was a sprain. It was, however, a really bad sprain. The doctor had given Kyungsoo a heavy dose of medicine to help with the pain, making him sleepy as a side effect.

An hour later, Chanyeol carried the sleeping young Prince into his and Joonmyun’s room and carefully laid him on his bed. Joonmyun was sleeping sitting up against the headboard, no doubt having waited for Chanyeol to return until his eyes could no longer stay open any longer. Chanyeol crossed over and gently pushed him down into a more comfortable position before tucking a sheet over his sleeping form. Then he walked back over to his own bed and pulled away the blanket the doctor had given Kyungsoo to cover his nakedness and dropped it onto the floor.

They were both covered with sweat, both covered with dirt and grime from the woods. But Kyungsoo was already sleeping, and Chanyeol wanted nothing more than to join him in slumber. His sheets could be washed tomorrow just as easily as their bodies could. So he climbed into bed beside the sleeping Prince. He pulled Kyungsoo up against him until he was the little spoon to Chanyeol's big spoon, his right arm holding them secure. Sleep came quickly, and it came to the rhythm of Kyungsoo’s heartbeat beneath Chanyeol's palm.

-

Chanyeol spent every nightrun for the remainder of the year the way he had before the younger pups had arrived. He spent it in his room, except his company was the little Prince instead of the Crown Prince, and unfortunately the two terrors as well. So it was Kyungsoo instead of Joonmyun who snuggled up next to him as they watched whatever movie had been chosen for the night. It was always Kyungsoo’s choice, much to Baekhyun and Jongdae’s dismay. They'd tried to rebel once, even tried to leave the dorm room. But a single growl from Chanyeol brought them back, the four of them squeezing onto Chanyeol’s bed.

It earned Chanyeol some teasing. The others in their year would always laugh at him and ask if the experience of spending a night alone in the woods had scared him so. Chanyeol let them have their fun, let them assume whatever they wished. So long as he knew that Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Jongdae were safe in the dorms every nightrun. That was all that mattered.

He never wanted to relive the experience again. Once was already one time too many. The scare it had given his heart would always remain vivid in Chanyeol's mind. Not to mention having to face Joonmyun’s anger when they’d all woken up that afternoon and finally showered clean. If Headmaster Kangta had been merely furious, then Joonmyun had been beyond downright livid. They stuck to the same story, but the Crown Prince’s fiery eyes had been harder to face than the Headmaster’s. When the full moon brought the next nightrun Joonmyun had almost decided to stay back, and Chanyeol was all but certain that one of the pups had talked. Only Minseok’s pleas for Joonmyun to join him had changed his mind at the last minute.

Chanyeol knew for certain someone had talked when at the end of the year Joonmyun had thanked him. As usual, Joonmyun never had to pack his own belongings. Someone else always did it for the Crown Prince. But on his way out the door for the last time that year, he'd paused at the picture of Kyungsoo and picked it up, staring fondly at his little brother behind the glass pane.

He thanked Chanyeol for finding him that night. Chanyeol tried to play it off as an accident, that he had simply been at the right place at the right time. But Joonmyun had merely shaken his head gently and then looked him in the eyes.

“Thank you for finding him,” he repeated, voice thick with emotion. “I can't even imagine what might have happened if you hadn't been there. Thank you, so much, Chanyeol. Thank you.” Then he walked over to where Chanyeol sat at his own desk and gave him a fierce hug, setting the picture down to get a better grip. And then he was gone.

Chanyeol didn't mean to take the picture again. He'd already taken three. But Joonmyun had set it down on Chanyeol’s desk instead of his own, and in his rush to pack his things Chanyeol had mistaken it as one of his. When he found it as he unpacked back at his family home, he wondered which of the pups had broken down and spilled the truth. One drunken night years later he'd learn all three of them had. But back then, as he placed that fourth picture next to the other three, he had to agree. He couldn't imagine what might have happened had he not found Kyungsoo. In fact, he didn't even want to.


	5. Chapter 5

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Most wolves, a good ninety percent of wolves, simply wake one morning with an extra layer to their scents. No longer simply two-toned, they have a third undertone that identifies them as alpha, beta, or omega. Some have compared the experience to baking a cake. It sneaks up upon the wolf and can only be smelt after spending some time outside of the kitchen so to speak, in this case, a good night’s sleep.

Other wolves present suddenly and without warning. In the span of a moment their scents suddenly shift and color. It’s usually because of some intense emotion, such as when excited, scared, or angered.

The last way to present is the way that nobody wants to present. It isn't common, but most everyone comes to know at least one wolf who presented in such a manner. It's uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Often it mimics a really bad cold or flu. No one knows why a select number of wolves present in such a manner. They just do. And every pup hopes that they aren't one of them.

Most wolves present sometime in their sixteenth year of age. Early presenters will present a month or so before the summer solstice, but peak presenting season is late fall to early winter. By spring, a full three-fourths of sixteen-year-olds will have their aspect. The remaining quarter will present in time, trickling in number until all but a handful will remain unpresented by the time the summer solstice comes around again. The handful left are considered late presenters, but by summer’s end they too will have usually presented.

To prepare for when they present, formal instruction begins at fifteen. They are taught the more basic and animalistic aspects of their nature. They begin to learn to track and to rely on their sense of smell. They gain an understanding for the role each played in society. They're shown how to hunt, despite there no longer being a need for it any more.

They're also taught about mating - although truth be told, most everyone had already learned about how that works from elsewhere. Chanyeol had gotten his lesson from his sister. His own father had been so embarrassed and kept messing up so Yoora had chased him out and did it herself. But perhaps more important than the lessons about how mating worked were the lessons on the sanctity of the mating bond.

Chanyeol thought it funny. Wolves had so much more going on inside of them, so many more hormones and urges than humans did. And yet, for the most part, wolves were much more conservative than humans. Humans had begun to reframe their ways of thinking, and mating outside of - what did the humans call it - marriage was beginning to become less stigmatized. But wolves were possessive by nature. Wolves didn't like it when others touched things that didn't belong to them, or when touched by those to whom they didn't belong to. As such, despite the want and the need, in seemingly defiance of the urges of heats and ruts, wolves tended to wait for the one. Some had begun to think more like the humans did, gave into their more carnal desires. But to take someone against their will was very much a capital offense, as was adultery, though the latter was almost unheard of in wolfdom.

All of this was taught to wolves when they’re fifteen, so that they’re prepared for when they present. The Academy, like any educational institution of good quality, was well prepared for teaching these life lessons to young wolves. But Chanyeol hadn't learned any of this information when he presented, hadn't sat through any of the classes. Because Chanyeol didn't present when he’s sixteen. He didn't even present when he’s fifteen. Chanyeol presented at an unheard of age.

Chanyeol was fourteen.

-

The first snowfall of winter had finally stopped, nearly a full week of a consistent light dusting falling from the heavens. Most everyone had chosen to spend the Saturday within the warmth of their rooms or some other indoor area. But after having spent the past week practically locked up, Chanyeol couldn't spend another moment inside. 

He'd managed to talk the Crown Prince into having a friendly snowball fight. It had started off between just the two of them before Minho, Jonghyun, and Taemin had come out to challenge them. Jonghyun was also in their year, while Taemin a year younger. Chanyeol thought that Taemin had a small case of hero worship regarding Minho. When he had teased the pup about it Minho had countered that the same could be said of Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. Chanyeol merely laughed it off because it was obvious that Joonmyun was Kyungsoo’s hero and definitely not Chanyeol, although the thought wasn't an unpleasant one.

Joonmyun and Chanyeol managed to hold their own against the three for a while, but the lack of a third person on their side soon weighed them down. Fortunately Minseok came to their rescue, making it an even fight. It ended in a draw when Taemin started to complain about being cold and wet. Joonmyun, ever the gracious one, had offered the neutral outcome to Minho, which he was quick to accept. Had the roles been reversed, Minho would have never offered the same. But then again, Joonmyun would have never accepted such an offer had one been extended. He would have gone down fighting to the bitter, cold end.

The result decided, Joonmyun, Jonghyun, Minseok, and Taemin wasted no time in scurrying back into the warmth of the Academy's stone walls, no doubt to warm up next to a blazing fireplace. Chanyeol and Minho, however, continued their jaunt, frolicking about as if they were a pair of pups in their first year instead if their fifth. They ran around through the snow, plowing through the sections where it had yet to be shoveled, and rolling down the hills formed where it had.

Near the eastern side of the Academy the wind and shoveling by the groundskeepers had formed the snow into mounds so high as to reach the rooftops of the covered walkway. The two raced up in an attempt to see who would be crowned king of the hill. Minho almost won, but a misstep into unpacked snow left him buried up to his waist and Chanyeol used the moment to his advantage, clawing his way to the top on all fours as if he were in his wolf form.

It was in the silence that fell as they tried to catch their breaths that they heard it. The sound of laughter. It was followed by a single voice, clear in the cold air. “Let me go,” it said. Chanyeol would know that voice anywhere, and if the look that Minho had given him was any indication, he had recognized it too.

They scrambled to the other side of the rooftop. From their vantage point they could see a group of first and second year pups mulling around the locker rooms. Chanyeol didn’t know the names of most of them, but he did recognize Sehun, a second year pup often made fun of for his lisp. Kyungsoo appeared from behind them, trying to get away. How dare they pick on Kyungsoo. Even if he hadn't been a Prince, he was still older than any of them.

A hand shot out and grasped his forearm, jerking Kyungsoo to a stop. “Where are you going, Your Highness? We weren't done. In fact, we were just getting started.”

The hand quickly pulled Kyungsoo back and pinned him against the locker room wall. The crowd of boys shifted a bit and the owner of the hand came into view. It was Jongin, also in his second year, known for being arrogant and an overall jerk.

The next thing Chanyeol can remember is Kyungsoo calling for his attention, gently tugging at the fur of his shoulder. Chanyeol blinked and realized that he was in his wolf form and had Minho, also in wolf form, pinned beneath him. He pulled off and turned around to face Kyungsoo. He was on his knees in the snow, his eyes watery with unshed tears. Chanyeol nuzzled his snout against his face and licked at the tears, wondering what had caused them to pool in the Young Prince’s eyes. He was surprised by the slight metallic taste on his tongue, he hadn't seen any blood on Kyungsoo’s face. Pulling away, he realized that the blood had come from him, that he had smeared it across the boy’s face with his own.

Chanyeol let out a whine of confusion. Why was there blood on his snout? He could smell it now, the smell of blood from no less than a half dozen others. Where had it come from? And why was it all over him?

A whine from Minho caught his attention. He quickly turned around and eyed him. Minho shrank back, as if he was afraid of what Chanyeol might do to him. This too puzzled Chanyeol. He wagged his tail to calm Minho down, show him he meant no harm. When Minho relaxed, Chanyeol tossed his head, beckoning the pup closer.

Minho hastened to comply like an overeager pup. He nuzzled himself against Chanyeol like a pup would to his father, his nose fitting comfortably beneath Chanyeol’s chin. The two had always been the same size, so why was he suddenly smaller than Chanyeol? Minho let out a childlike whine, the type of whine a pup would use to appeal to an alpha’s instinct to protect his pups and his family. And that's exactly what it did to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol jumped back in surprise. He looked back and forth between the human and pup in front of him. Almost simultaneously they whimpered. Chanyeol shifted back into a human and stared at them for a moment, then he pulled them in to hug them close to his chest, giving in to newfound instincts to comfort and protect.

He couldn't believe it. It was unheard of to present this early. He was only fourteen. But the new layer to Chanyeol’s scent could not be denied. Chanyeol was an alpha at only fourteen.

-

The sight of Jongin leering down at Kyungsoo was the last clear memory that Chanyeol remembers from the incident. Chanyeol’s wolf took over so instantaneously that it shoved aside Chanyeol’s human side so fully that he doesn't really know what happened. Everything else he knows about it had been told to him by others. Most of what he heard came from Minho and as such, Chanyeol holds the story to be accurate. But even then, some things just can't be true, like the reason his winter coat looked like it had gone through a shredder.

Minho told Chanyeol that he had shifted so swiftly that it was like a balloon bursting. He had been human one moment and a fully formed wolf the next, soaring through the air, clothing flung far and wide across the white snow. His wolf was also noticeably larger than before, something that wouldn't come to matter much since his growth spurt would kick into full force after that day. Minho also told him that he'd landed so gracefully on his feet that he might have shifted into a tiger and not a wolf, a ludicrous thought indeed.

There hadn't been even a moment's pause before he was running off towards Kyungsoo. Minho had shifted as well to follow after him. He let out a ferocious growl that caught the attention of everyone in the group, heads whipping around to find it’s source. He was on them in seconds, had barreled into them at full speed. Those who had even remotely good reflexes managed to escape with only a few light cuts and bruises. But most of the first and second year pups had been so stunned and surprised that they received a fair amount of scratches, bruises, and even bites before they had managed to free themselves from Chanyeol's reach.

But Chanyeol paid little mind to them. Instead he had focused his attention on Jongin, the second year who had dared to lay a hand on Kyungsoo. He had bit into his arm and pulled it away from Kyungsoo’s neck with enough force that he was just shy of snapping it in two. Chanyeol tossed him aside. Jongin shifted, most likely a delayed effort by the pup’s wolf to defend himself, but the fight was already more than over. Chanyeol picked him up by the scruff of his neck and flung him across the snow.

Sehun tried to make an attempt to intervene, but by then Minho had arrived. He skid to a stop, and barked out a warning, making Sehun and the others stop short. Jongin scrambled to his feet, his voice letting out whines and whimpers of pain but determined to stand anyway. Chanyeol didn't let any of that affect him. He pretended to attack, snapping his jaws in a bite that was obviously meant to miss, but whose intent was no less dangerous.

Jongin let out a growl of his own, still defiant. Then Chanyeol pounced, pushing the pup onto his back and pinning Jongin beneath him with his large paws. He then reared his head back and pointed his snout skywards and let out a long, piercing howl. Woven into its haunting notes was a threat, a warning to stand down, an order to submit. All of that, and the baritone of an aspect that could not be defied.

Jongin quickly bared his neck in a show of acquiescence, high pitched whines escaping his throat. Chanyeol’s wolf wasn't quite satisfied, but Jongin was still just a pup, merely eleven years old. So he let the pup up, the rumble of a threat emanating from his mouth. Jongin ran off the moment he was free. The rest of his crew chased after him, leaving Kyungsoo alone with Chanyeol and Minho.

Minho moved towards Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol’s hackles were still raised and so he saw the movement as yet another threat to the Prince. He pounced on Minho, pinning him into submission like he had Jongin.

Minho immediately bared his throat in compliance. He let out a childlike whine. It made Chanyeol pause, but Chanyeol’s wolf didn't care about protecting Minho. He cared about protecting Kyungsoo, protecting him from everyone and anyone. His throat vibrated in warning. Minho let out another whine, but this time there was a voice calling him and a hand pulling at the fur of his shoulder.

This voice Chanyeol answered to. This voice breached the haze he was in. It had been Kyungsoo’s voice that brought Chanyeol back to himself.

At least, this is what Minho had told Chanyeol. And because it was Kyungsoo, Chanyeol was inclined to believe him.

-

The walk back to the courtyard had been in silence. Both Chanyeol and Minho had destroyed their winter jackets in the shift and so had shifted back into their wolves to stay warm. Kyungsoo had merely kept a tight hold on the scruff of Chanyeol’s neck and walked between them silently. Chanyeol had always been touchy feely, but the alpha within him was not so compliant. Had it been anyone else, Chanyeol was almost certain that his wolf would have bristled at the tightness of the hold.

Headmaster Kangta was waiting for them when they got back to the courtyard, two warm cloaks in his hands. Chanyeol and Minho shifted and slipped into them. Everyone clothed, Kangta turned on the balls of his feet and ordered Chanyeol to follow him.

Chanyeol was reluctant to leave, especially without delivering Kyungsoo into the safety of his own room. But Minho reached out and placed a comforting hand on the Prince’s shoulder. Satisfied that Minho would look after the Young Prince, Chanyeol dutifully followed after the Headmaster.

He fully expected to be reprimanded for fighting. Fighting wasn't tolerated at the Academy, they didn't believe in the saying “boys will be boys.” The scuffle between Joonmyun and Minho back in their second year had earned them both bathroom duty. Chanyeol could only wonder what the consequences for fighting with a half-dozen boys would be. Morally, he had the better standing. But they were only ten and eleven, Chanyeol was fourteen. There was also the matter that while Chanyeol had escaped practically unscathed, the blood he'd had to wipe off himself with snow said they had not been so lucky.

At least they couldn't expel him. Not when he had been defending the Young Prince. Joonmyun would never allow it. Knowing all that, Chanyeol prepared for the worst. Still, as he took the seat opposite the Headmaster in his office, he was not prepared for the fight to be entirely overlooked.

Instead, the Headmaster talked about changes that would have to be made to Chanyeol’s schedule. He needed to take the necessary classes, classes that he should be taking next year. But since he had presented early - extremely early - he'd need to take them now. He needed to learn how to control a wolf who was now considered to be mature even though at only fourteen his human was still considered to be an adolescent. And not just any wolf, but an obviously strong and powerful alpha.

No longer a pup, he was an alpha now. The rules he had lived by up until that morning had now changed. He needed know how to treat betas, omegas, and pups. There were expectations and customs that he was now bound to, that he was now responsible for upholding.

Chanyeol hadn't had much time to dwell on his new status. His thoughts since presenting had been more concerned with possible consequences for fighting, and Kyungsoo's safety of course. But as the Headmaster droned on it suddenly seemed being an alpha didn't seem to be the glittering gift it had appeared to be. It had brought all types of changes that Chanyeol wasn't ready for.

“And you'll have to change rooms.” Kangta said. “You’ll be rooming with Namjoon, he presented as a beta last week.”

Changing roommates midyear was expected during the year wolves presented, and sometimes in the years that followed as well. The new mix of hormones and instincts made it necessary to reevaluate certain pairings, which only spilled over into everyone else. Keeping the volatile mix of alphas, betas, omegas, and pups balanced was a job nobody envied.

Chanyeol immediately bristled at the thought of leaving Joonmyun. Who would guide and protect Joonmyun then? Who would really spar and help the Prince hone his skills? Who would the Crown Prince air his worries to? And who would rub Kyungsoo’s feet and at night and then carry him to his own bed down the hall after he'd fallen asleep? Although truth be told, he often just let the pup share his bed on those nights.

Chanyeol leapt to his feet and growled his dissent, his alpha trying to assert itself. But Headmaster Kangta was also an alpha, and an older, experienced one at that. His voice barely even filled with the force of an alpha’s command, yet it had Chanyeol backing down. He tried once more to protest, but it was a whimper of an attempt that the Headmaster didn't even acknowledge.

Chanyeol dutifully followed him up to the dorm that he and Joonmyun shared. Or rather, the dorm that he had shared with the Crown Prince. He caught a glimpse of Jongin in the halls, a bandage wrapped around his arm which no doubt covered the marks from Chanyeol’s bite. His face balanced white for a moment before he scurried away in fear. He and the five other pups that Chanyeol had fought would be given a month's worth of kitchen duty as punishment. But no punishment would ever be given to Chanyeol for his role in the fight. Chanyeol later found out from Sehun that when Jongin had asked the Headmaster why that was so, the answer had been that it made no sense considering the circumstances which had led to the fight. Had the boys not done what they’d done, Chanyeol’s wolf would not have presented in such a manner. Chanyeol didn't quite understand the Headmaster’s reasoning but wasn't going to argue if it kept him from the receiving end of any punishment.

That Kyungsoo was there waiting with Joonmyun in the dorm was not unexpected. The brothers were sitting on Chanyeol’s bed, a blanket spread over them. They instantly got to their feet as Chanyeol and the Headmaster entered. The cry of protest that Joonmyun let out when Kangta delivered the news was loud and high pitched, but the Headmaster was firm and unbending. Since it was a Saturday he said he'd give Chanyeol one last night in the room with Joonmyun. But he'd have to be packed and moved into his new room before classes on Monday.

“You cannot move him. I won't room with anyone else,” said Joonmyun. “He is my roommate. He was handpicked to be my roommate, not Namjoon’s.” And when Headmaster Kangta refused to budge, he added, “My father will hear of this.”

The Alpha King did not run the Academy, a fact which the Headmaster pointed out. Joonmyun merely cocked his head to the left slightly, an action that would have appeared cocky had his face not been stoic. He simply dismissed the Headmaster by saying that he was taking up their remaining time together.

Kyungsoo quickly hugged Chanyeol tight the moment they were alone, apologizing and saying it was all his fault. But the little Prince had nothing to apologize for, it's never the victim’s fault for being bullied. Still, he apologized for being weak, for not being strong like hyung.

They spent the night all together on Chanyeol’s bed watching a movie. It was Roy Qui's newest one, Joonmyun’s favorite human actor, something about how he looked so pretty when he cried. But none of them really paid attention to the scenes on the screen. They filled the time with the ramblings of young pups, even if Chanyeol was no longer considered one.

Chanyeol was sitting against the headboard, Joonmyun on his left being extra clingy and cuddly, and Kyungsoo on his right being the same. There was a moment that the two Princes had fought to be the one whose head was nestled beneath Chanyeol's chin, using their heads to bump the other out of the way. It brought out feelings in Chanyeol’s alpha, what type he didn't quite know. But Kyungsoo whined out a “hyung” and Joonmyun, being the good older brother he was, gave in and let Kyungsoo win.

-

When Chanyeol woke in the morning, Joonmyun’s head was resting on his shoulder and Kyungsoo’s right foot still in his hands. Kyungsoo had flipped positions after the movie had finished so that Chanyeol could rub his feet. Careful not to disturb the Crown Prince, Chanyeol resumed playing with Kyungsoo’s toes, rubbing each in turn. The pup let out what could only be called a pur.

Chanyeol remembers studying the two Princes in that moment, remembers trying to memorize every detail, to enjoy the quiet intimacy of a moment that he knew he'd never achieve with anyone else.

Joonmyun nuzzled his nose into Chanyeol’s neck and the alpha in him responded by nuzzling his own into the soft hair atop Joonmyun’s head. A part of him was sad that he presented so early that now he had to leave. But the alpha in him was proud that he had presented, proud that he had protected his Prince.

As he packed his things that morning, Chanyeol couldn't help but vacillate between the two feelings. The two Princes helped him pack, helped him carry his belongings into another building and into a room on the opposite side. It was the one and only time he'd ever witness either Prince packing at the Academy.

But it was all for nothing, for one week later the Headmaster himself helped him pack and move back into the dorm he shared with the Crown Prince. He would still have to keep his adjusted schedule, but he would room with Joonmyun once again.

Officially it was because a sixth-year had presented as an alpha and needed to be separated from his current roommate. But Seokjin is the most kind and gentle alpha Chanyeol had ever met. So even if Yoongi was also an alpha, Chanyeol found it hard to believe that the two would buck heads. If any alpha could have been labeled softblood it would have been Seokjin. At least until you made him angry or watched him spar. There was no denying that he was an alpha then, and definitely not a softblood.

Joonmyun was surprised to open the door to find Chanyeol and the Headmaster with all this things. But the smirk that soon filled his face said that he had been expecting it. No doubt he really had told his father what had happened and the Alpha King had obviously stepped in. Headmaster Kanga ignored the smirk. He merely reminded Chanyeol that he had one of his new classes that afternoon.

Chanyeol noted that his bed looked like it had been slept in while the Crown Prince’s was as crisp as the day he’d left. But of course, he never said anything to Joonmyun. After all, it was nice to be missed.

-

At the end of the school year, the Alpha King and his mate came to pick up their sons from the Academy. They made sure to personally congratulate Chanyeol on his early presenting. He had already met the Alpha King once before, but to meet the Alpha's Mate as well had Chanyeol stuttering. Changmin was extremely pretty, and though he was a beta, he was actually slightly taller than the Alpha King. Chanyeol wondered if any of that height would eventually show itself in Kyungsoo. He’d already written off Joonmyun of ever inheriting his father’s height, it seemed the Crown Prince had unfortunately inherited his appa’s smaller stature.

But then again, Yunho was the first Alpha King in memory to mate a beta. For as long as anyone could remember the Alpha King had chosen a female alpha for a mate, or perhaps had had one chosen for him in the olden days. But Yunho had defied tradition and chosen a beta not just once, but twice. Maybe there were still some surprises in store in Joonmyun and Kyungsoo.

As if summoned by Chanyeol’s thoughts, Kyungsoo came running into the room and launched himself into his appa’s arms. “Kyungsoo, whose shirt are you wearing?” Changmin asked. The way that he looked at Chanyeol said that he already knew the red shirt belonged to Chanyeol.

“It’s mine,” said Chanyeol, answering anyway. “Kyungsoo came over for help on his mathematics when I was rooming with Namjoon, and since we finished late and his room is in another building, I told him to stay the night.”

The Alpha King told his son to return the shirt. But Chanyeol told him to keep it. Since he’d presented, Chanyeol had already asked his mother twice to send new, bigger clothes. The shirt Kyungsoo now wore would soon be too small for Chanyeol to wear at the rate he was growing. Even his wolf seemed to get larger and larger each time he shifted.

All the same, when Chanyeol unpacked his belongings when he arrived home that summer, the red shirt was among them. It still had Kyungsoo’s scent on it, that distinctive mix of cookies and cinnamon. It was kind of strange to have the young Prince’s scent in his bedroom. Chanyeol had never gotten back any of the shirts that Kyungsoo had previously taken from him. Even the hoodie he’d merely loaned to the Prince had never been returned.

Chanyeol took one last whiff of the shirt before folding it nice and neat. He placed it in a box under his bed along with another picture of Kyungsoo off Joonmyun’s desk. Yoora caught him sliding the box back under his bed and laughed.

“Collecting?” she said. “You’re an alpha, not an omega.”

True, collecting trinkets of sentimental value in a hidden box was more of an omega-like thing to do. But he knew his alpha of a sister had one as well under her bed. He’d never thought of it as collecting before, but he guessed that was exactly what it had become. 

Chanyeol, the early presenting alpha had a collection. Five pictures and one red shirt.


	6. Chapter 6

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Chanyeol’s sixth year at the Academy was relatively uneventful. He and Joonmyun still shared a room while Kyungsoo was moved into a room closer to them, this time with Baekhyun as his roommate. Seemed the Academy had yet to figure out a way to curb the two terrors.

Life continued on, and the work of educating and learning continued with it. Joonmyun, Minho and the rest of the sixth years began taking the classes that prepared them for when they would present. Having had to take them last year, Chanyeol found himself with free time on his hands. He inevitably found himself spending it with a few of the seventh years that he’d bonded with from the year before.

Seokjin and Yoongi were the two that he spent the most time with. The two were also alphas and also early presenters, albeit not as early as Chanyeol, but they helped him through the initial awkward stages of learning how to be an alpha. Sons of minor Lords, they were a refreshing breath of fresh air to the usual highborn boys that Chanyeol often found himself surrounded by. While Joonmyun didn't have many truly close friends, there was still an abundance of boys who tried to earn his favor. But neither Seokjin nor Yoongi cared for trying to rise through the ranks of nobility. Chanyeol liked to think that had he not been selected as the Crown Prince’s roommate, he'd be like them, or at least like Seokjin. Yoongi could be a little intense at times.

Spending time with those two also meant spending time with their friends, and the naturally friendly Chanyeol fit right in. There was the beta Namjoon, who despite his mid-level ranking behaved as if he was the group’s leader. Seokjin and Yoongi seemed to content to let it be. There was also the pups Jimin and Jungkook. Jimin was a year younger, while Jungkook was two years younger, and thus the same year as Kyungsoo. Completing Chanyeol's new group of friends was Hoseok and Taehyung, but they were sixth years, and thus had to take the classes with Joonmyun and the others and so were often not present.

Kyungsoo would sometimes tag along with Chanyeol. The group welcomed the little Prince just as warmly as they had Chanyeol. It was good, Chanyeol thought, that Kyungsoo was widening his circle of friends to more than just Baekhyun and Jongdae. The two were loyal companions, but they were loud and boisterous and had a wide net of friendships that Kyungsoo was never quite able to reciprocate as warmly. But here in this group of seven minor lords, Kyungsoo found acceptance that went beyond his royal status. Here he could let down his walls and strip his armor.

It was perhaps more meaningful because his walls only seemed to grow taller and armor more heavy with everyone else. Kyungsoo still felt responsible for Chanyeol’s early presenting. Even though no harm had come of it, the fact that he had been unable to defend himself stung the little Prince. He'd resolved to be stronger and better, to be the type of wolf a Prince should be. And thus the already quiet Prince became even more reserved and even harder to reach.

It hurt Chanyeol to see Kyungsoo like that, but the pup was stubborn. At first the other boys at the Academy had laughed at Kyungsoo, thought him a poser. But eventually his icy stare grew cold enough to be believable and the gossip stopped. But at least with Jungkook and the others Kyungsoo was able to be the pup he once was. And, of course, with Chanyeol. Always with Chanyeol.

Joonmyun was at first resentful of the new group of friends Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had made. But the Crown Prince soon softened when he saw how Kyungsoo acted with them. The fact that both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol would drop everything when he called them didn’t hurt either. The others didn't mind, they understood that they would always be second and the Crown Prince always first in Chanyeol’s life.

By the time Minseok presented as a beta in early winter, everyone had adjusted to the new dynamics. And the school year passed as uneventful as grass growing.

-

It was during the spring equinox holidays that it happened. Chanyeol had returned to Sukra, his family’s small estate, for the weeklong break from school. His father only allowed him to return home for two of the three seasonal breaks during the school year. Chanyeol always chose the winter solstice as one, and this year had chosen the spring holiday for his second one. 

His sister had chosen to return home for the same holidays this year. Happy to have the whole family together, Chanyeol's mother had gone into a cooking frenzy, pushing the only two servants they had out of the kitchen. Yoora had tried to offer her assistance but had received the same rebuff from their mother. As such, their father had taken them on a dayrun into the woods that made up most of their estate.

In better days, when the family had first risen in prosperity and entered the ranks of the nobility, the estate had been vast, including the rich farmland that surrounded the estate. But some foolish ancestor of Chanyeol’s had dug himself into gambling debts and been unable to pay them off. Upon his early yet timely death, the next Lord of Sukra had sold off most of the moneymaking farmland to pay off the large sum. The Parks had always been fair in their dealings, but the fact that a son had taken responsibility for his father's debt was not the norm in those days, not without bloodshed. But the new Lord’s grace and poise in doing so despite being barely eighteen summers old had cemented the respect and loyalty of the surrounding peoples, as well as allowed them to remain in the ranks of the nobility. It was mark of distinction and pride to own any piece of what was now called Park Farmland. Should any of it ever be put on the market, the Parks were always given first preference. And though they may no longer own the land, it would always be considered Park territory. No Park was ever denied access to it for day or nightruns, or even lazy afternoon walks.

New, unfamiliar scents were present when they returned from their run. Among them, one was vaguely familiar, like grain when it was freshly harvested and coffee. They had unexpected guests. Chanyeol shifted and ignored his father’s call to shower first before meeting them, racing up the stone stairway to the second floor terrace. Afterall, if the scent was familiar then he had already met whoever it was before.

Chanyeol didn't place the scent until he was almost to the top of the stairs. The realization of exactly who it was made him trip and roll onto the terrace, his gangly limbs flapping around in a most ungraceful manner. He leaped up to his feet to face his mother and their guest. Yunho, the Alpha King of Goryeo.

Nudity was a fact of life among wolves, especially since clothing did not usually survive a shift. Still, there was some level of modesty among wolves. To be naked in front of family was acceptable in the right circumstances, and even among close friends. But to be naked in front of the Alpha King went against every level of decorum that had been drilled into Chanyeol. Yet Chanyeol was so surprised that he just stood there, eyes wide open. His mother quickly shooed him away, telling him to shower and dress himself. He quickly backed away, tripping over himself again and nearly sending himself rolling back down the stairs.

When he had done as his mother had told him he returned to the terrace to rejoin his family and their unexpected guest. He sheepishly apologized for his lack of manners, but the Alpha King merely laughed it away, saying that some things never changed.

It seemed that it wasn't Yunho’s first visit to Sukra. On a stormy night, long ago, the Alpha King’s car had broken down nearby. As the nearest person of nobility, Chanyeol’s father was expected to house the Alpha King and his companions until such time that he could leave. Though the visit had been unplanned, the Parks did their best to provide for the extra bodies. Chanyeol's mother had jumped in to cook a warm meal for them, and his father even helped their servants ready the guest bedrooms.

Being a pup of only four years, Chanyeol had found the storm exciting and had snuck out to play in his wolf form. Finally chased in by a servant, he'd shifted back into a boy and ran through the halls of the manor where he’d ran headlong into the Crown Prince, sending them both to the floor in a tangle of limbs, right at the feet of the Alpha King. It had taken both their fathers to extract them and strand them on their feet again. Chanyeol's father had barely managed to get Chanyeol into a pair of pants before Chanyeol had dragged the Crown Prince away to play, uncaring who he was or why he was there. 

Unlike Chanyeol, Joonmyun found the storm to be frightening. But Chanyeol’s happiness soon infected the pup like a virus and the two spent the rest of the evening playing, exhausting themselves until they fell asleep next to the fire in the living room.

Yunho, Joonmyun, and the rest of their party had left early the next morning before Chanyeol had woken. And although neither Joonmyun nor Chanyeol remembered that night, Yunho had not forgotten it. As such, when it had been time to select a roommate for the Crown Prince, there hadn't even been any doubt in the Alpha King’s mind who to pick. Sure, all the other reasons and explanations that Chanyeol had heard before were valid as well. But none of them had mattered to the Alpha King. No matter if Chanyeol had been a higher born or middling noble, or even a commoner, it was he who would be Joonmyun’s roommate. The pup who had cared not about rank or station and had simply played with and set the Crown Prince at ease on a dark and stormy night.

Hearing the story, Chanyeol couldn't help but feel proud of himself. And also a bit embarrassed that his faux pas earlier had actually been a repetition of an even earlier one. He apologized again, but the Alpha King just laughed again and waved away the young alpha's concerns.

Then he brought up the true reason for his unexpected visit. Sukra was in the city of Seobaek, a two hour drive from the capital and another fifteen minutes to the actual estate. Having wrapped up his meeting with the Prime Minister of Balhae a day earlier, he'd taken advantage of the extra time in his schedule to make a detour on his way back to Essement Palace to make his request in person. He asked if Chanyeol’s parents would be willing to let him borrow Chanyeol for the summer. 

Chanyeol was stunned. It was one thing for Joonmyun to invite him to the palace. But it was a completely different thing for the Alpha King to extend the invitation. And not just for a week or so, but for seemingly the entire summer.

There was, of course, a catch. The Alpha King wanted Chanyeol to teach Joonmyun how to drive.

Chanyeol was stunned for a second time, mere moments from the first. To be entrusted to teach the Crown Prince how to drive, a basic right of passage for teenagers world over, was ludicrous. Chanyeol himself knew how to drive, he'd learned in the corn fields of the Kim’s neighboring farm. He'd been driving since before his feet could even fully reach the pedals. He was a damn good driver, if he could say so without sounding proud. But he was no driving instructor. Chanyeol didn't even hold a license, a fact that he ever so respectfully pointed out to the Alpha King.

The Alpha King had smiled before reaching out to get something from an aide. He slid it across the table to Chanyeol. It wasn't a license, but it was a learner's permit. Chanyeol had taken the written test just a week before the holidays had begun.

“I didn’t ask if you had a license,” said Yunho. “I asked you to teach my son how to drive.” 

Chanyeol gingerly reached out and held his permit with two hands, looking down at his picture. His own toothy smile stared back at him. Despite all his reservations and misgivings he said yes. After all, who was he to tell the Alpha King no.

And so Chanyeol found himself the guest of the royal family that summer. He did go home for a week at the start of the summer vacation to see his parents and exchange his things, but the rest of the summer he would spend with Joonmyun, Kyungsoo, and the royal couple. He made sure to take the picture of Kyungsoo out of his bag and add it to his collection under his bed. He didn't want to even think about having to explain it had someone found it in his bags. And he made sure to pack extras of his favorite brand of shirt because they were the most likely to be borrowed by Kyungsoo.

Essement Palace was large and every bit the fairytale grandeur that Chanyeol had thought it to be combined with the power and might of a fortress fit for the strongest of wolves. It sat atop a hilltop in Sooman, the capital of Goryeo, overlooking the expansive crown lands that surrounded it. It was as modern as any palace, yet artfully disguised to reflect the traditional palaces of old. Its tiled roofs gleamed a polished blue in the sun, its stone towers seemingly defying the sky, its wide open gardens an oasis of green in a steel and concrete city. Gyebaek Castle just outside the boundaries of the crown lands was the true seat of power in the Kingdom, where the Alpha Kings held court and ruled. But it was in Essement Palace that the Royal Family lived. There was the true heart of the kingdom, and it was Chanyeol’s playground for the summer. 

The crown lands surrounding the palace were large enough to provide ample roadway for Joonmyun and Chanyeol’s daily sessions without tiring them of the same view. The first few sessions had come with curious bystanders, wishing to see the Crown Prince take his first steps into young adulthood. Joonmyun had been a nervous wreck and had provided everyone assembled with the spectacle they'd hoped for. For all the the smarts and aptitude that the Crown Prince possessed, they did not extend to being physically inclined. It stood in stark contrast to the graceful manner in which Joonmyun moved when fighting. But Chanyeol, having been his sparring partner, knew just how many repetitions it had taken before the movements had become a matter of muscle memory for the Prince. 

Since Chanyeol did not in fact hold a true license, they always had a third person with them in the car. Most times as the Princes’ governor it was Donghae. But when the Princes’ schedules conflicted, it was often Ryeowook, the Alpha King’s most trusted advisor, who would sit in the back seat. Chanyeol thought it odd since Ryeowook subtly favored Kyungsoo, but Ryeowook confessed that no one else was brave enough to put their lives in the hands of the Crown Prince.

Of course, driving lessons were not the only thing that Chanyeol did that summer. There was also time for fun and games. And though he was there for Joonmyun, much like back at the Academy, Kyungsoo often joined in on their adventures. But unlike back at the Academy, there at the palace life often intruded upon them. There was constant flow of wolves in and out of the palace, people seeking private audiences with the Alpha King or his mate or just going about the business of running a Kingdom. As much as the Alpha King tried to keep such matters away from the palace and at Gyebaek Castle, he was the King. Certain duties could not be ignored.

There were some nights when his seat at the head of the table was empty, and others when it was only Chanyeol and the two Princes. Occasionally it was Changmin’s seat that was empty, but those were rare occasions.

The Alpha King did make sure that he was home on the night of the fullmoon. With his sons away at the Academy, he was not going to waste the precious few full moons that they were together. He was not going to miss a nightrun. Chanyeol himself could barely believe that he'd be on a nightrun with the Alpha King and his mate. His whole summer was full of experiences that he never thought he'd ever have.

It started out innocently enough. Simple roughhousing between a father and his pups as they ran unhindered through the forested areas of the crown lands. Guards patrolled the perimeter, but they stayed far enough away that their scents were only faint wisps in the wind. Chanyeol was content to stay back and let the pups have their time with their father. The Alpha’s Mate made sure he never fell too far back, often waiting for the young alpha to catch up before affectionately nuzzling his side. 

But eventually the scuffles got a bit more physical, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel like the Alpha King was bullying his own sons. He hesitated for a while, but his alpha soon itched to jump to their defense. A nudge from Changmin told him to join in on the fun, to give into his wolf’s urges. So Chanyeol crouched down and then bounded up to leap into the wrestling match that was going on.

Yunho took the addition of another opponent with glee, a playful yip cutting through the night air. The Alpha King more than held his own against the three youngsters. But a particularly rough shove sent Kyungsoo onto his back, and a strong paw held him there threateningly. Chanyeol reacted quickly, lowering his head and ramming the Alpha King with as much force as he'd managed to muster in the two steps he’d taken.

It should have sent the Alpha King onto his side. But he shifted back into a human and rolled gracefully before coming to a rest in a crouching position. And then he was flying through air towards Chanyeol, once again in wolf form to tackle Chanyeol to the ground. The ease and speed with which the Alpha King had shifted into and out of being human shocked Chanyeol. There was also the matter of him having shifted during what was essentially a sparring match. Such behavior was not acceptable. It was unhonorable to do so in a fight.

But no one else seemed to be shocked at the Alpha King’s behavior. His family seemed to take it in stride and Joonmyun and Kyungsoo simply rushed to tackle their father. They were unsuccessful as Yunho was quicker, and the two princes ended up in a pile atop of Chanyeol. Yunho shifted and stood over them before racing off on two legs. Joonmyun shifted as well and gave chase, the two of them rushing off into the trees with Kyungsoo following behind, still as a wolf. 

Chanyeol was confused. Why were they shifting so much? It went against the rules of combat that Chanyeol had been taught at the Academy. Changmin approached him where he lay and shifted into a man to reach out and set Chanyeol on his feet. “Not everyone plays fair, Chanyeol,” he said, a kind smile on his lips. “As Princes, Joonmyun and Kyungsoo need to be able to defend themselves no matter what rules, if any, are being used.”

Changmin affectionately pet Chanyeol as if he were the young alpha’s mother and Chanyeol couldn't help but lean into it. But then the beta’s hand moved down to the scruff of Chanyeol's neck and he tossed the alpha with a surprisingly strong grip. In a flash the Alpha’s Mate was back as a wolf, running into the trees with a happy yip. Come on, it seemed to say. And Chanyeol followed.

They stayed out all night, running and playing through the trees until they were so exhausted that they fell into a heap at the edge of the reservoir. It was about an hour before dawn, but none of them made any move to head back to the palace. Chanyeol had initially moved ever so slightly away from the Royal Family in an effort to be respectful. But Changmin merely scooted over to snuggle against him. The feeling wasn't too unfamiliar. It was very much like when Kyungsoo wanted to snuggle. He had the same jet black fur as his son, and the spiciness in his vanilla and cardamom scent was akin to the cinnamon that laced with cookies in Kyungsoo’s.

Initially they were just going to watch the sun rise in the east, but Chanyeol didn't think any of them lasted that long before falling asleep. Chanyeol certainly didn't. 

-

He woke sometime in the midmorning hours to find they'd all shifted back during their slumber. Kyungsoo had managed to worm his way between Changmin and Chanyeol, their limbs tangled in each other. But it wasn't the extra warmth that had woken him, it was the feeling that he was being watched that had set his alpha on edge. He carefully turned his head to look over his shoulder. Yunho was standing over him, his lean and toned body glistening in the sun with some streaks of dirt marring perfect skin. Now that the nightrun was over, the sight of the Alpha King without anything to cover his nakedness made Chanyeol blush, but the look on his face made Chanyeol pause. He was wearing a mischievous smile.

Before Chanyeol could fully comprehend what that meant, the Alpha King had lifted him into his arms and tossed him into the reservoir. He quickly fought to the surface, taking in a deep breath of air only to narrowly miss being hit by Kyungsoo as he too was tossed into the water. Joonmyun’s laughter filled the air and a water war was born. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo against the Alpha King and his heir. It didn't take long before Kyungsoo became a traitor and switched sides, leaving Chanyeol to fight on his own.

He pleaded his surrender soon after, and the Princes were kind enough to relent. But the Alpha King was in a playful mood, and though the water slowed him down as he lumbered over, there was no mistaking that he was far from willing to end the battle. He engaged Chanyeol in a wrestling match, this time keeping to the rules and staying in the form that the battle had started in.

It required every bit of strength from the young alpha. There were even moments that Chanyeol appeared to gain the upper hand, the alpha within him giving him power that he didn't know he had. But Yunho wasn't King for no reason. He overpowered Chanyeol, forcing him onto his back at the water’s edge. He pulled both of Chanyeol's arms above his head and grasped them both in a vice like grip with one hand, the other pressing down intently into the soft of Chanyeol’s belly.

Chanyeol knew when he was beaten, so he called out his surrender once again. But Yunho didn't release him. Instead that same mischievous smile that his sons would sometimes get reappeared on his face. His eyes flickered away briefly to meet the eyes of each son in turn, some unspoken message communicated in the gaze. The pressure on Chanyeol's belly pulled back slightly, only to be reapplied in the form of fingers meant to tickle.

Chanyeol was very ticklish, a fact Joonmyun knew very well from a wrestling match back in their second year together. And now a fact the rest of the family knew as well. Both Princes were upon him in seconds, adding their probing hands to the Alpha King’s. It left Chanyeol a helpless mess as he tried to breath, laugh, and cry out all at the same time while trying to squirm away from the insistent tickling. It was only when Chanyeol thought he would surely pass out from the overwhelming stimulation that Changmin appeared to rescue him and release him the Alpha King’s grip.

Chanyeol threw himself upon the beta as if being in his arms would shield him from Yunho, Joonmyun, and Kyungsoo. They all laughed at him, but Chanyeol didn't care. There was no malice in their laughter, only the warmth of something Chanyeol couldn't quite identify.

When Chanyeol had regained his breath they quickly rinsed off in the reservoir before making their way back to palace. Kyungsoo had latched himself onto Chanyeol's back while they were still in the water and refused to come down. He ended up carrying the young Prince all the way back to the palace, much as he had that morning after that ill-fated nightrun. Joonmyun kept shifting back and forth between a boy and a wolf, restlessly running ahead only to double back and repeat the process all over again.

Yunho and Changmin were a few steps behind, their fingers intertwined and their voices blending together effortlessly as they sang to pass the time. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night run. Only then did it hit Chanyeol. Only then did Chanyeol fully realize that the though they were the Royal Family, they were a family like anyone else’s. And he felt extremely humbled to have been allowed to see what few others in the Kingdom would ever be able to even glimpse at.

Staff members were waiting for them upon their return, robes held open for them to slip into and warm baths drawn. They were all exhausted from the nightrun, but the Alpha King and his mate insisted that they all bathe before climbing into bed. He himself did a quick wash up before rushing off to attend to some business that had come up overnight, leaving Changmin to see to it that Chanyeol and the pups took their baths.

Kyungsoo nearly fell asleep in the tub, while Joonmyun was splashing about like a pup of only five years rather than one with fifteen years to his name, almost sixteen actually. Chanyeol had overheard some of the staff members commenting that such restlessness was a sure sign that the Crown Prince was going to present as an alpha soon. 

Changmin told Chanyeol to take the sleepy Kyungsoo upstairs to his room while he chased after Joonmyun who had dashed off into the palace as a dripping wet wolf. Chanyeol wished the Alpha’s Mate luck and did as he was told, carrying the young Prince in his arms up the stairs and into his room. He somehow managed to open the door to the Prince’s room, pull back the covers, and lay the now sleeping boy down in his bed without waking him up. But when Chanyeol moved to pull away and go to the guest room he found that he couldn’t. Kyungsoo had reached out in his sleep and was tugging him into bed. Chanyeol was just as tired, and didn’t see any harm in it at all. He should really put some clothes on the Prince, he thought. But what did it matter? They’d all spent the last twelve hours stark naked, another few wouldn’t hurt.

For the first time it was he who climbed into Kyungsoo’s bed instead of the other way around. The pup instinctively curled into the warmth of a trusted alpha, and the young alpha let out a sigh of contentment as he joined the pup in slumber. The two were so deeply asleep that they never even noticed Changmin come in to check on them. The beta merely kissed each one on the forehead before pulling the covers up to tuck them into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Essement is pronounced S.M. Ent. Think of it as being in the middle of a large park like Central Park in NYC. Also, I know I've steadily name dropped and added non exo-characters throughout the fic (hence the "Large cast of Idols as Supporting Characters" tag), but in hindsight, dropping the remainder of BTS all within the same paragraph was probably not the smartest move.


	7. Chapter 7

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

He knew that the Alpha King was supposed to visit Zhou that summer. He even knew that the Royal Family was supposed to join him for two weeks, a working vacation of sorts. Somehow the fact that he was staying with them during the summer didn't translate into the realization that he would be joining them on said trip. It wasn't until a few nights before Yunho was set to leave that it was pointed out to him. 

The Alpha King had casually asked if Kyungsoo wanted to bring a friend along as well since Joonmyun had Chanyeol. At first the young Prince had tried to claim Chanyeol as his too. Yunho had smiled and simply stated that Chanyeol was Joonmyun’s friend.

The comment made Chanyeol feel funny. Sure he was the Crown Prince's friend, but that didn't mean he couldn't be the young Prince’s as well. But he supposed that since he was the same year as Joonmyun and was his roommate that it made sense to classify him as Joonmyun’s friend and not Kyungsoo’s.

Joonmyun had suggested either Baekhyun or Jongdae, but they were already away on holiday with their parents. Separate holidays, much to their annoyment. Chanyeol suggested Jungkook instead, knowing that Jungkook came from a family just outside the capital. Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up at the idea of one of his new friends joining them on their vacation. With his full-hearted agreement, arrangements were made for the pup to join them during their vacation to the human kingdom of Zhou.

Yunho was reluctant to be leaving Joonmyun behind at such a pivotal time. The summer solstice would be taking place while they were separated, and with each passing day the Crown Prince started to grow more and more agitated. It fell to Chanyeol to calm the pup down, for when any other person tried it only seemed to have the opposite affect, only seemed to aggravate the Crown Prince more. But as suddenly as the phase had started, it was gone. The pup returned to his happy and pleasant self, his smile just as dazzling as before.

And so the Alpha King set out for Zhou as scheduled with a kiss on his mate’s lips, and kisses to each of his sons’ foreheads. When Joonmyun had balked and claimed he was too old for such displays of affection the Alpha King had quickly locked his arm around the boy’s neck and smothered him with more. And when Chanyeol had made the mistake of laughing the Alpha King reached out and did the same to him. He asked if Kyungsoo needed more as well, but the pup had frowned and shook his head fiercely. It was a firm and definite no, and were it not for the fact that he retreated behind his appa it would have appeared that he was the alpha among the three of them. And so, with a light-hearted laugh, Yunho waved goodbye and left with his entourage. They would see each other again in two weeks.

Jungkook arrived at the palace a week later. Overjoyed at the fact that he now had a friend to call his own, Kyungsoo made himself scarce from the older two. They busied themselves playing whatever games they could find or make up. There were times that they played with the game consoles in the entertainment room, but being pups and it being summer their wolves pulled them into something more physical in nature more often than not.

This left Joonmyun and Chanyeol with more time to practice driving. They no longer had an audience assemble to observe every lesson. The novelty of watching the Crown Prince had worn off, especially since with many hours of practice Joonmyun had managed to become somewhat comfortable behind the wheel. He was still a nervous driver, and Chanyeol doubted if he would ever outgrow that.

The day before the summer solstice, Changmin ordered everyone into the car for an excursion to get ice cream. Kyungsoo and Jungkook both fought over who would get a window seat, so Chanyeol solved the problem by taking the center and letting them each get a window. As Joonmyun moved to climb into the passenger’s seat, Changmin reached out and stopped him.

He held out the keys for Joonmyun. “Let’s see what you got,” he said, a joyful smile on his lips. 

Joonmyun’s eyes went wide with shock, and the two pups beside Chanyeol even stopped their clamoring at the idea that the Crown Prince would be their chauffeur for the day. Joonmyun quickly looked at Chanyeol through the open door of the car. Chanyeol nodded his head and smiled, as if to say “you got this.”

Joonmyun visibly swallowed, but he took the keys from his appa and walked around the front of the car to climb into the driver’s seat. Changmin climbed into the passenger's seat and told everyone to buckle up. There had been no need to tell that to any of them. The two pups had already done so and latched on to Chanyeol’s sides for extra safety. And then they were off.

It may have taken them twice as long, but they made it there in one piece. Chanyeol might have had bruises on his arm from where Jungkook had squeezed on a particularly sharp turn, but no one was bleeding. Of course, the fact that they had an escort in front of and trailing after them didn't hurt, but Chanyeol thought that the Crown Prince had done decently well for his first time on real city streets.

Changmin hadn't said a word about Joonmyun’s driving the entire time. He but his grip on the hold above the window had been fierce, and the rigidness of his spine told just how nervous he really was. The only time that Chanyeol was actually worried was when it came time for Joonmyun to park. It was a particularly painful point for the Crown Prince, and it took a good half dozen maneuvers until he was prudently within the lines. He was still crooked, but he was in the lines.

Jungkook had exploded out of the car and kissed the ground the moment the ignition was off with as much dramatic flair that he could muster. Kyungsoo laughed, and the atmosphere lifted.

By the time they were ready to return to the palace, two photographers had somehow caught wind of the excursion and were lying in wait for a picture of the Crown Prince in action. Changmin told him to ignore them and Joonmyun managed to back the car out of the stall without major incident.

Having already survived one car ride with Joonmyun at the helm, the ride back was the complete opposite of the ride there. Whereas before it had been silent, the car was now filled with laughter and chatter as Kyungsoo and Jungkook rambled on about the upcoming trip to Zhou. They even reached across of Chanyeol to playfully hit each other a few times. Chanyeol talked with the Alpha’s mate about the trip as well, but with more a contained excitement level and without all the hitting. But while the passengers were at ease, Joonmyun was anything but. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he took in deep breaths that did little to set him at ease.

When they pulled up in front of the palace, where Joonmyun would let a valet bother with taking the car to the garage, Joonmyun set himself upon his little brother. He was irked at how they’d made it difficult for him to concentrate and Kyungsoo had the unfortunate honor of sitting behind him and thus had to get out on the same side.

The pup managed to wiggle free and sought out refuge behind his appa. Changmin held out an arm to stop the Crown Prince from further exacting his revenge and Joonmyun being the well mannered pup he was complied. He walked off grumbling under his breath, motioning for Chanyeol to follow after him with a single beckoning finger. Chanyeol fell into step and spent the rest of the afternoon soothing the Crown Prince’s ruffled feathers.

-

Chanyeol had been given the use of a guest room when he'd arrived at the palace, but he was so used to sharing a room with the Crown Prince that he ended up in the Crown Prince’s room more often than not. Changmin had eventually had the servants move an extra bed into the room. If he was going to spend his nights there he would do so in a proper bed and not on a sofa.

That night, the two pups had been brave enough to infiltrate Joonmyun’s bedroom. They had not, however, been brave enough to encroach into the Crown Prince’s bed. Or perhaps they hadn't wanted to. Either way, it was into Chanyeol’s bed that they'd climbed in to spend the night.

Kyungsoo had stolen one of Chanyeol's shirts to use as a sleeping shirt, although it was so large on him it was more of a night gown. He wore nothing but briefs under it. Not one to be left out, Jungkook had done the same. He filled it out a bit better, the bottoms of his boxers showing under the hem of the shirt. Joonmyun, ever the prim and proper Crown Prince, slept in a matching pajama set. Chanyeol slept nude, he'd done so ever since shortly after his presenting. Apparently most alphas slept nude, a fact he'd only learned when he'd been tricked into waking the Alpha King for breakfast one morning.

As he woke that morning, still so early that barely any light had breached the sky, it was to the feeling of being suffocated beneath the weight of a body lying atop his own, head pressed so far up into Chanyeol's neck that the possibility of developing a crick was very real. He knew without opening his eyes that it wasn’t Kyungsoo. He could tell by the scent. The pup lying on top of him smelled of apples and cloves. But he could also tell because Kyungsoo never latched on so desperately. Plus, when he opened his eyes, he could see Kyungsoo sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed.

Chanyeol tried to sit up, fighting against Jungkook’s death hold. It took him three tries, and even then the still asleep Jungkook tried to curl into Chanyeol somehow. Kyungsoo turned to look at Chanyeol.

His eyes were bright and shining, the way they were when he was absolutely happy. And he was wearing his heart-shaped smile that had first captured Chanyeol’s attention the day he'd first seen his picture. He was about to ask why he was up and why he was smiling so happily so early in the morning. But then he caught it, the scent of coffee and dark chocolate in the air.

Coffee and dark chocolate now bonded irrevocably with the scent of a powerful alpha.

Joonmyun had presented as an alpha during the night. Of course he would. How could the ever prim, proper, respectable, and responsible Crown Prince present on any day other than the morning of his sixteenth summer solstice. 

Unlike Kyungsoo, Chanyeol couldn't contain his excitement. He leaped out of bed and jumped onto the still sleeping alpha, frightening him awake. He was talking so fast that the words barely made any sense, so loud that he was practically shouting. Kyungsoo climbed out of Chanyeol’s bed and joined them in Joonmyun’s. His own excitement added to the atmosphere.

Joonmyun was confused. Startled out of his sleep, how could he not be? He couldn't understand why his friend and brother were so excited, nor why they were in his bed at all. Chanyeol would later realize that it was only the second time he'd ever intruded onto the Crown Prince’s bed without first being invited. But in the heat of the moment he didn't realize it, didn't care at all.

Finally, Kyungsoo clamped a hand over Chanyeol’s mouth to shut him up. He calmly yet quickly explained to the Crown Prince that he had presented overnight. It took a moment for Joonmyun to process it, but the instant he did the sleepiness instantly left his eyes and they shown just as bright as Kyungsoo’s, if not even brighter. He pulled them into a group hug that ended up as more of a dogpile with him at the bottom.

The commotion had, of course, woken the Alpha King’s Mate as well. He opened the door to the room and stepped in, confusion and concern etched in his face.

Joonmyun extracted himself from Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. “Appa,” he said, “I'm an alpha!”

The concern melted from Changmin’s face and formed into a look of a proud parent. He crossed over to the bed and held out his arms to pull the Crown Prince in an embrace. He told him that of course he was, because how could he be anything but.

Years later, when Chanyeol’s own son presents as an alpha, only then does he realize the full weight of being blessed to be present the morning Joonmyun had presented. Chanyeol's own presenting had been full of other emotions, other concerns, as would Kyungsoo’s end up being as well. But to share such a moment with your parents, your family, it truly was a treasure.

Kyungsoo leaned into Chanyeol’s side, seeking an embrace of his own. And looking at the Crown Prince and the Alpha King’s Mate, you’d never know that Changmin was only Joonmyun’s step-father. You'd never realize that Changmin was not the one to give birth to him. He had raised the Crown Prince with all the love and affection he'd given to his own son. Never once had a distinction ever been made. Never once had the word “step” been attached to the words “father” or “son”. And neither Prince would dream of calling the other a “half-brother”.

While it would always have been nice if Jaejoong could have been there that morning, and nicer still if Yunho could have been there was well, perhaps it was more fitting that it was Changmin who was. Like the final cementing of a relationship that was already as strong as a three-stranded cord, he pulled back from the hug and lifted both of his hands to cradle Joonmyun’s face. He wiped away the Crown Prince’s tears of joy with his thumbs, uncaring about his own running down his face, and gently leaned down to place a kiss to Joonmyun’s forehead. The Crown Prince was no longer a pup. He was now an alpha in his own right.

This, of course, was cause for a celebration. And so the beta stood and ushered his sons out towards the kitchens. It fell to Chanyeol to wake up Jungkook. The pup had somehow managed to sleep through all the excitement. Chanyeol didn't even bother trying to be gentle and give the pup a chance to wake nicely. He remembered a story Seokjin had once told him and quickly flipped the boy over and pinched both of his nipples until he bolted awake. Before the pup could even really react, Chanyeol pulled the pouting Jungkook after him towards the kitchens, where he could hear Changmin calling out for at least a dozen different types of waffles and pancakes.

It wasn't everyday that a Crown Prince presented. And so they celebrated. After Chanyeol had scurried back to the room to grab a pair of pants, of course.

-

They managed to keep it all a secret. Changmin promised the palace staff two extra days off, and the few others who somehow found out were won over by the beta’s persuasive charm. Not even the media leaked the story. Taeyeon, the only reporter lucky enough to have come across the newly presented Crown Prince, was promised exclusive access to the big moment.

Chanyeol thought that such measures were not even needed. Everyone would have gladly kept the secret without such quid pro quos. The Alpha King was notoriously quick on the uptake, and the chance to pull something over on him was rare. The satisfaction of surprising him was a reward in and of itself.

So when the moment came two days after the summer solstice, everyone fell into place like clockwork, as if it were a coronation or a wedding. Leeteuk subtly rearranged the Alpha King’s schedule so that the reunion would take place in the spacious entry way to Szechuan House. He would be leaving for a lunch meeting while his family would “coincidently” arrive at the same time. Taeyeon and her cameraman were stationed on the balcony, the perfect viewpoint from which to zoom in on the Alpha King’s reaction.

Chanyeol watched in wonder as everything was coordinated down to the smallest detail. The speed of their approaching cars regulated to match the progress of Yunho’s company. The pace of their march up the steps adjusted to match the cadence of the Alpha King’s. The opening of the doors to the entry way timed to the second to allow the least possible amount of time for Joonmyun’s scent to enter the air. The two parties meeting at the threshold mere moments from each other.

Even the sequence in which they entered had been calculated. First Changmin, then Kyungsoo and Jungkook followed by Chanyeol. Only then did Joonmyun enter.

The Alpha King had smiled and proceeded to pull his mate in for an embrace and kiss. Then a kiss on the cheek to Kyungsoo, a ruffle of Jungkook’s hair, and a hand extended to do the same to Chanyeol. But the hand never reached Chanyeol. Before he could make contract to disturb Chanyeol’s perfectly styled hair - even that had been arranged for - the Alpha King caught the scent of Joonmyun as he entered Szechuan House. He let out a cry of astonishment in a pitch that was rather unalpha-like in its register and impaled himself upon his son, folding him into his strong arms, holding him tight, and spinning him around in the air.

They lingered there in the entryway, but time had been carved out, hidden into schedule for such a moment to happen. There was laughter in the air, happiness in the words voiced, and joy in the hearts of everyone there. 

Before the hour was up, Joonmyun’s presenting was the most talked about item. Footage of Taeyeon’s exclusive interview was watched thousands of times on screens throughout Goryeo and Zhou. The next morning, the front page of every morning paper was filled with a picture of the momentous moment. Chanyeol is in it, of course, he’d been a visible spectator watching it unfold before him. Chanyeol’s mother would clip the picture and save it for years. It was also the first glimpse of the younger Prince that most people got, the first image of his face made public.

All in all it was an event celebrated by the whole Kingdom over. And Chanyeol was blessed to be a part of it.

-

Zhou was not like Goryeo. Zhou was a human kingdom. That wasn't to say that there were no wolves who lived in the kingdom, just that the majority of its inhabitants were human. Not too long ago that would not have been so. The two kingdoms had been at almost constant warfare with one another. But an attack by tigers from the islands to the east during a rare armistice had given the two sides a common enemy. They'd united to drive the tigers back to their islands and in doing so had found a road to peace between themselves. The signing of the Treaty of Peking some hundred years ago had cemented that peace. 

Since then, the royal family of Zhou had surrendered much of their power to the people of their kingdom. A constitutional monarchy, it was called. The royal family served as mostly figureheads and tradition, although there was no mistaking the power and influence they wielded. Unlike the Royal Family of Goryeo, their numbers were many and they still filled many governmental positions. But in Goryeo, the current number of four members in the Royal Family was the most it had been in some time as Yunho was the first Alpha King to sire more than one pup in recent memory. Seemed he was the first to do a lot of things: marry someone other than an alpha, marry a male, marry twice, and of course sire two pups.

Zhoumi, the current King of Zhou, was young, not even twenty-five years of age. He had come to the throne after his father's untimely death to sickness. His wife, Victoria, had given birth to their firstborn just the year before, a boy named Zitao. But there was also Zhoumi’s younger brothers, Yifan and Yixing. Yifan was seventeen, a year older than Joonmyun and Chanyeol, while Yixing was a year younger than them. There was also an assortment of uncles, aunts, and cousins, but they didn't matter so much at the time. 

It was with Yifan and Yixing that Joonmyun and Kyungsoo found their schedules most entangled with. While the adults had their meetings and occasional visits, their children were sent off on their own on outings meant to foster goodwill with the people. Chanyeol and Jungkook tagged along dutifully, as did some friends of the human princes, but the photos were always of the four princes in action.

The Zhouite media had no qualms about thrusting themselves upon the princes. The flashes and shutter clicks of their cameras were constant background noise during their outings. It made Chanyeol grateful at the thoughtfulness of the news media back in Goryeo, at how they respected the privacy of the royal family. Even Taeyeon’s exclusive interview had been quick and unobtrusive, no more than two minutes in total. To think that it was only now at fourteen that Kyungsoo’s face had finally been revealed. Yet Yifan and Yixing had had to deal with a pushy media since the time that they were young. There were photos of them from practically the day they'd been born. And their paths seemed to be perpetually blocked by over-zealous microphones asking for a comment or two.

It was unsettling for the two wolf princes, to suddenly have to contented with the extra and unwanted attention. Joonmyun bore it better than Kyungsoo. A mask of diplomacy slipped over his features during their outings and Chanyeol had seen him use some of the breathing techniques he'd taught the Crown Prince when he’d still had trouble controlling his wolf. Joonmyun hadn't had to use them in some time, but having just presented he was having to relearn how to get along with his wolf. Having had to go through the same thing last year, Chanyeol knew just how difficult it could be to tame the alpha within. When he factored in the fact that Joonmyun had already had trouble controlling his wolf the first time around Chanyeol thought that the Crown Prince was doing remarkably well.

Kyungsoo on the other hand, grew increasingly agitated at the Zhouite media. He started to ask to be excused from certain excursions, those that he thought he could get away with not attending. It had taken only two instances of Kyungsoo not making a scheduled appearance before the Alpha King had caught on and nipped that in the bud.

Kyungsoo begrudgingly kept the rest of his appearances but refused to stand in his designated spot. Instead, he stood behind his brother, putting as much distance between him and the media as possible. He even used Chanyeol as a shield sometimes.

It was this action that caught the attention of Yifan. Chanyeol didn’t quite like the look that the prince had. There was something about him that made the alpha within Chanyeol wary of the human. So when Kyungsoo declined his offer to help shield the pup as well it made Chanyeol happy.

Still, the human was persistent. He offered again a few hours later. When Kyungsoo politely declined again with a formal “No thank you, Prince Yifan,” the human tried drop the walls of formality between them.

“Please, Kyungsoo.” Yifan said. “Call me hyung.”

Kyungsoo had merely narrowed his eyes into a look that might have been one of puzzlement but had probably been interpreted as a glare. “You’re not my hyung,” he said.

The rebuff had not been expected by Yifan. His only comeback was a weak, half-hearted comment about how neither was Chanyeol. Kyungsoo merely blinked his eyes and repeated his earlier statement, leaning in closer to Chanyeol as if he now needed to be protected from Yifan.

Thankfully Yixing, who seemed to always be oblivious to what was going on in front of him, chose that moment to demand his brother’s attention. Yet even as he walked away from Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, Yifan’s eyes were on the young prince. Chanyeol couldn’t help it if he put a comforting arm around Kyungsoo.

For the rest of the trip, Kyungsoo hung back and stayed with Jungkook and Chanyeol rather than closer to Joonmyun and the two human princes. When he did have to venture closer to the Yifan, his eyes would always look around for Chanyeol, as if keeping track of what he believed to be the closest route to safety.

Unfortunately, the strain of dealing with a media that didn’t respect the boundaries he was used to as well as guarding himself against Yifan - whether that threat was real or merely perceived, Chanyeol hadn’t quite determined - took a toll on the younger Prince. And of all times for it to manifest it would of course happen on the last night of their visit, during a state dinner.

There were two parts to the dinner. The formal and ceremonial late afternoon portion and the more celebratory evening portion. Chanyeol and Jungkook had not been formally invited to the first, so they were relaxing in their rooms. They were supposed to be packing before they would join in for the second portion of the night. But in reality it was Chanyeol who was packing both their belongings as Jungkook recalled everything that they had done over the past few weeks. Chanyeol listened attentively, despite having been at most of the events himself. He occasionally interjected to correct Jungkook when he misremembered something or simply forgot. He knew that Jungkook would be retelling the events of their trip for months to come and he didn’t want him to internalize any false events.

He also didn’t want the pup to say something that he shouldn’t, like how they and the four Princes had played in a sudden rainstorm. That part of the story was okay. It was what happened afterwards that didn't need to be shared. All of them, even Yixing, had climbed into the giant jacuzzi tub and taken a bath all together. Yifan had simply let out a snort when Jungkook had suggested the idea, he was too old for such childish things. And maybe it was a childish thing to do, to bathe with your friends. After all, it had dissolved into a dunking battle. Yixing had almost lost, until Joonmyun had taken pity on the human and turned coat.

Chanyeol still maintains that he'd have won that battle had Joonmyun not cheated. While the Crown Prince busied himself with his brother and Jungkook, he told Yixing Chanyeol’s weakness. Yixing had surprisingly strong grip for a human. He tickled Chanyeol without mercy and had Chanyeol a squirming mess in an instant. He swallowed more than one mouthful of bathwater in his attempt to break free.

No, Chanyeol definitely didn't need that story making its way around the Academy.

Soon enough, the time for the second portion of the evening came and Chanyeol and Jungkook were called upon to join the others in the majestically decorated gardens of Szechuan House. When they got there, Chanyeol’s eyes immediately scanned the crowed, searching for any sign of Joonmyun or Kyungsoo. He found the younger prince first.

The moment his eyes landed on Kyungsoo he knew that something was wrong. His shoulders were hunched, his face drawn into a frown, and his eyes narrowed in the beginnings of anger. He was walking away from an over eager reporter and her cameraman, heading towards Joonmyun. Chanyeol could see it coming despite the distance between them. He instantly rushed to try to stop it from happening. But he knew he’d never make it there in time.

The reporter reached out and touched Kyungsoo on his upper arm. The young prince immediately jerked away from her touch and let out a growl of warning. Had it happened in Goryeo, no doubt the growl would not have been met with the same reaction. But in Zhou, unused to such noises, it cut through the din of chatter and small talk, silencing it as if a bullet had been fired. The attention of everyone in the gardens was on them in an instant, not to mention the lense of every camera there as well.

The reporter’s cameraman then tried to get in between Kyungsoo and the reporter. He was no doubt simply trying to be a gentleman, trying to protect the woman from what he thought was a threat. But, of course, his movements didn’t look that way to Joonmyun. The alpha within him saw the movements and thought that the cameraman was trying to attack his little brother. To make matters worse, the man’s camera accidentally swung out and hit Kyungsoo just above his eyebrow. Joonmyun’s alpha instincts took over almost instantaneously. In a flash, he shifted into his wolf and leaped into the air.

Chanyeol managed to get there just in time to put himself between the unfortunate cameraman and Joonmyun. He caught the prince in midair. Had he not been an alpha himself, Chanyeol didn't think he would have been capable of holding Joonmyun back. The alpha within the Crown Prince was wild in anger. He was snarling and snapping his jaws, eager to inflict pain and punishment.

“Your highness, please,” Chanyeol had said. “Calm yourself.” With his whispered tone it sounded a lot like a plea. But in truth, it had been a command. A command with all the force that Chanyeol could inject as an alpha. Amazingly, Joonmyun had listened. Somehow the order had penetrated through the alpha's anger and reached his more rational side. He gave in to it and stopped thrashing about.

When it seemed he was calm, Chanyeol set the Crown Prince on his feet. Joonmyun walked over to nuzzle Kyungsoo’s face, licking at the small and barely noticeable cut his brow. Deeming it sufficiently cleaned, he then turned to make his exit from the party. A light flick of his tail against Chanyeol’s leg served as an order to fall into line behind him. Pulling Kyungsoo into a protective embrace, Chanyeol did as his prince commanded and followed him out of the party he had just arrived to.

-

They left to return home to Goryeo the next morning. Yet as anyone could imagine, the incident sparked a firestorm of coverage. Some of the Zhouite media had tried to present it as Joonmyun giving in to his wild, bestial nature. They questioned the reason for the Royal Family's visit and even the whole nature of their two kingdoms being allies. Yunho released an official apology just before they’d left, as had Joonmyun. It had been the Crown Prince’s first official statement, and Joonmyun had spent an entire trip back moping because of it.

The Goryeo media was more sympathetic to Joonmyun’s actions. As wolves themselves, they understood what the Crown Prince must have been feeling to lash out in such a manner. Still, their attempts at advocating for the Crown Prince did little to quiet the storm in the Zhouite media. It filled the newscasts for a full week before it was quieted by an unlikely source - a tiger.

Ryota Ozawa, the Nihonite Ambassador to Zhou had been asked about his opinion on the matter during a routine weekly address. His stance was undoubtedly sympathetic to the Crown Prince.

“It is my honest opinion,” he’d said, “that his behavior was not unlike your Prince Yifan’s in Nihon last summer, perhaps even more justified than your Prince’s. You defended your Prince then, despite his actions drawing blood on a tiger. You could stand to be a bit more lenient when the only blood drawn that day was wolf in nature, not human.”

The incident was dropped almost immediately. King Zhoumi offered his own apologies for the treatment of Joonmyun in the media, but the cameraman in question never once offered his own apology. It was then that Chanyeol began to get the impression that Zhouites could be rather fickle. He chalked it up to the fact that they had no wolf within them to strengthen their sense of morals. Even the Nihonite Ambassador had proven he had some, perhaps due to the tiger within him.

But if only he had stopped there. Instead, the Ambassador had unintentionally opened a new can of worms by adding his assessment that he found it more amazing that Joonmyun had listened to the quiet plea from Chanyeol. Footage from the incident was replayed and reanalyzed with a new purpose. It was only in footage from one camera, and you could barely hear him whisper it, but it was unmistakable. The commands of an alpha may not have any power in recordings, but they are still readily identifiable as commands. Chanyeol had dared to give a command to his Prince, and that did not sit well with those in power.

Thankfully, this scandal was not played out in the media. Instead, it was confined to those who lived and worked in Essement Palace or Gyebaek Castle. But that was where Joonmyun and Kyungsoo lived and where Chanyeol was spending the rest of his summer. Thus, they found themselves having to deal with it on a daily basis. It was mostly just looks and whisperings, but a few more outspoken members of the nobility didn't hesitate to voice their displeasure that Chanyeol had forgotten his rank and station. Minho’s father, Lord Taecyeon, was one of them.

His biting and caustic remarks had Chanyeol on the phone asking his father to call him home for the remainder of the summer. He’s proud to say that he didn't cry about it. No tears had fallen from his eyes and his voice had been even and steady. But had anyone been in the room with him they would had seen his eyes well up until one more drop would have had them spilling over, and it was only his deliberate deep and measured breaths that had kept his voice even.

His father, though sympathetic to his predicament, would not call him home. It was simply something that Chanyeol would have to learn to deal with. And though they tried not to let it affect the remaining days of the summer, it put a damper on what was left of the season. Chanyeol spent more of his nights in the guest bedroom he'd been given. He wished that Jungkook hadn't had to return home to his family. At least then he would have someone to talk to. 

Joonmyun had apologized a number of times, but it really wasn't his fault. True, it was the Crown Prince who had lost control of his wolf. But it was Chanyeol who had forgotten himself. Despite how warmly Joonmyun, Kyungsoo and the Royal Family treated him, he was still just a noble of low rank.

Changmin had also done his best to lift Chanyeol’s spirits. The beta had assured Chanyeol that he had done nothing wrong. Anyone would have issued an order to Joonmyun in those circumstances. And had he not done so, the incident could have been immensely worse.

Kyungsoo, for his part, never brought up the incident. As far as he was concerned, his brother had come to his rescue, as had his Chanyeol hyung. He didn't understand what all the fuss was about. He, at least, treated Chanyeol the same as always.

Still, Chanyeol tried to pull back and re-erect boundaries that they had long since ignored. Joonmyun recognized the ghosts of the lines that had once separated them and did his best to adhere to them when they were in public. But those lines had long been blurred before Kyungsoo had come into the picture. And having never had to adhere to them before, he outright ignored Chanyeol’s attempt at wall building.

Only the Alpha King remained distant. The incident had added an extra layer of complexity to his busy schedule and the usual warmth that was in his gaze whenever Chanyeol and the Alpha King’s eyes had met was gone. It wasn’t cold, but that middle ground of undecided indifference that was sometimes worse than being one or the other.

It’s that empty gaze that filled his eyes when he went looking for Kyungsoo one evening only to find him in Chanyeol’s bed in the guest bedroom. Kyungsoo was on his stomach reading a manga while Chanyeol was rubbing his feet. When Yunho realized what Chanyeol was doing he was surprised. He’d thought Kyungsoo had outgrown that. Kyungsoo merely laughed and said that Chanyeol did it the best. A flicker of emotion passed over the Alpha King’s face when “hyung” was attached to Chanyeol’s name, a flicker that passed so quickly Chanyeol couldn’t identify it.

He’d only just realized that apart from Joonmyun, his actual brother, Kyungsoo never used that term with anyone else. The significance of Prince Yifan’s muttered comment weeks before finally made sense. It seemed that the human prince was not the only one who had noticed Kyungsoo’s use of the term for Chanyeol. But the Alpha King didn’t say anything about it, merely told Chanyeol to get a good night’s sleep to be ready for his road test the next day.

Somehow, despite the turmoil of his thoughts, Chanyeol managed to eventually fall asleep. And in the morning, the Alpha King himself took Joonmyun and Chanyeol for their road tests. He let Joonmyun drive to the station, said that the extra practice on real surface roads would be good for him. It was the first time that Yunho was in a car with his son behind the wheel. He didn’t take it as well as his mate did, but he managed to refrain from making any outbursts.

There was never any doubt that Chanyeol would pass, and through some miracle Joonmyun passed as well. Yunho let Chanyeol drive them home, even let Joonmyun sit in the passenger seat while he sat in the back. For the thirty minute drive everything felt like it did before, when Chanyeol was still in the good graces of the Alpha King. But when they arrive back at the Palace, Yunho told Chanyeol to stay in the car when Joonmyun gets out. The Prince hesitated at leaving his friend alone with his father, but Chanyeol put on his best smile and told him to go show his license to Kyungsoo.

Yunho told Chanyeol to bring the car to the garage, and Chanyeol did just that. Suddenly the tension of the last two weeks filled the car and Chanyeol gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. With the Alpha King in the back seat, Chanyeol can’t help but feel like he’s being put in his place. It felt like he was being reminded of just how low his rank was. That Yunho was the Alpha King, and he was little more than a servant.

They sit there for a moment after Chanyeol put the car in park, till Chanyeol can’t take the quiet any longer and he apologizes. For what, he wasn’t exactly sure, but he apologized for it all anyway, for making the Alpha King angry.

Yunho quickly cut in and told him he wasn’t angry, at least not at him. The revelation gave Chanyeol the courage to look at the Alpha King through the rearview mirror. The rest of his answer is a long time in coming. But when he’d finally gathered his thoughts, Yunho looked up and met his eyes in the mirror.

“I knew that you were someone important to Joonmyun. I just didn’t realize how much he - and even Kyungsoo - have come to rely on you. You’re the one who’s always been a friend to Joonmyun, defended him and Kyungsoo from bullies and those who would take advantage of their rank. You’re the one who taught my son how to control his wolf, taught him how to drive. You’re the one who found Kyungsoo in the woods. And now I find out you even deign yourself to rub his feet.”

How the Alpha King knew all of that was beyond Chanyeol, but before he could stop and think about it the Alpha King continued.

“I knew you were kind hearted the day I met you at Sukra, but I didn’t realize just how much. My sons need someone like you in their lives. You don’t know how thankful I am that they have you. But one day they’re going to need to know how to do it all on their own, to stand without you.”

“But it doesn’t have to be today, does it?” Where Chanyeol found the courage to ask such a question he’ll never know. But the Alpha King simply laughed and agreed with him that no, it didn’t have to be today or anyday soon for that matter. The warmth was back in his eyes, and the entire walk from the garage to the palace he was just as touchy-feely with Chanyeol as he was with his own sons.

The remaining days of the break are just as happy as they had been in the beginning. And when they show up at the Academy at summer’s end, the picture of Kyungsoo that adorned Joonmyun’s desk had an extra person in it. When Chanyeol asked Joonmyun about it he just shrugged it off, saying it was his favorite that he took over the summer. Chanyeol would eventually realized that every picture that would ever sit on Joonmyun’s desk was in fact taken by the Crown Prince himself. And he had to admit that it was also his favorite picture from that summer as well. Kyungsoo and he had been laughing at something Jungkook had done and Joonmyun had captured the enchantment of the moment perfectly.

At the end of the year when Chanyeol took the picture home, he didn’t add it to his collection under his bed. Instead, it went atop his own desk. Kyungsoo had a beautiful smile, he thought, and he didn’t care that he’d now taken seven pictures without permission. A beautiful smile indeed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Joonmyun and Chanyeol had drastically different approaches to their final year of learning at the Academy. The Crown Prince was a bundle of nerves and sometimes seemed like nothing more than a walking checklist of tasks he needed to accomplish. Chanyeol, however, was a lot more laid back. He knew that there were a lot of things he needed to accomplish if he wanted to get into a good university, but he wasn't going to fret about it. There were teachers and guidance counselors there to help them get through it all in one piece. Still, Chanyeol let himself get caught up in Joonmyun’s craziness. It was fun to make a plan and pretend that his background and his marks would be enough to get him into a prestigious university. At best, his pedigree would help land him a spot in a respectable one, but not one of the elite schools.

He helped the prince turn a blank wall in their room into a giant bulletin board full of flyers and lists of dates and requirements. He had always known that Joonmyun’s working style was a bit like working with organized chaos, but there's only so much space on a desk so it was always relatively contained. On a wall however, Joonmyun had enough space to let himself go. The way he organized everything made Chanyeol dizzy. It was only because he knew the Crown Prince so well that he was able to make sense of it at all.

Still, Chanyeol could only take so much and after one month of staring at the growing mess on the wall, Chanyeol had reached his limit. He sat the Crown Prince down in a chair and proceeded to give him a lecture on the benefits of having a good organization system. Joonmyun had squirmed through the whole thing, only listening halfheartedly. The way he saw it, he would hire people to do that sort of thing. Why worry about it when there were others who could do it for him and do it better?

Chanyeol must have been having a bad day that afternoon because he’d actually gotten a little cross with the prince. He raised his voice and shouted at him, telling him that even if he hired the best of the best to run everything he would still be the Alpha King. Goryeo would be his Kingdom, something that he needed to treat with all the honor and reverence that it deserved.

Joonmyun had stared at Chanyeol for a moment after his outburst. It made Chanyeol feel a little guilty, but he knew that somebody needed to say it. Being the Alpha King wasn’t just about dinner parties and traveling around to visit other countries. He would be responsible for the welfare of an entire Kingdom. That meant knowing everything that he possibly could to help him make the best decisions possible. And that, in turn, meant having a real, working organization system to help him.

Chanyeol didn’t feel bad about raising his voice, for that was nothing new. Put any two young boys into the same room for any extended period of time and arguments were bound to occur. It was more the feeling that he’d once again overstepped his boundaries again liked he’d done two summers ago in Zhou. Who was he to remind the Crown Prince of the weight of wearing the crown.

But no reprimand came from Joonmyun, and really, he’s probably never once ever told Chanyeol off for doing that. They’d been friends for so long that Joonmyun knew that Chanyeol only did it out of a sense of love for the prince. He cared about Joonmyun, and thus cared about the King he would grow up to be. So no, no words of scolding or reminding him of his rank among the nobility came from Joonmyun. Instead, all Joonmyun did was ask Chanyeol how he could go about organizing the mess of information scattered on the wall.

And so Chanyeol proceeded to go through it all item by item, organizing and reclassifying the information on the wall so that things made more sense in how they were pinned up. Testing dates were put in the center with deadlines for essays, applications, and other things grouped off to the side. The rest was simply a collage of the benefits each university offered. Pictures of the forests for nightruns, layouts of the expansive libraries, maps with pins in them showing the proximity of Joonmyun’s favorite eateries. Before Chanyeol realized it, they’d spent the entire afternoon staring at the wall, arranging and rearranging the bits of paper on it until it looked just right.

They talked throughout the whole thing, thinking aloud and voicing their thoughts and positions on the matter. Kyungsoo had come into the room sometime not too long before they’d finished and added his own opinion to the puzzle. His preferred university was SBS because it was only a ninety minute drive from the Academy. Joonmyun had laughed at Kyungsoo’s somewhat selfish reasoning. But he must have agreed with it somewhat for by the day’s end he’d already eliminated MBC for being too far away.

It was all a little bittersweet for Chanyeol. No matter which university Joonmyun ended up at, it would not be the same one as Chanyeol. But he supposed that after eight years together, it would finally be time to strike out on their own to find their place in the world. It was time to grow up. Joonmyun would go on to one of his elite universities, and Chanyeol would go to his respectable one.

-

The entrance exams take place every fall, just as the trees begin to let their leaves go to prepare for the coming winter. All classes for eighth-years are suspended for an entire week, the time devoted to the proctoring of the tests instead. Five straight days of testing is enough to make anyone go crazy, and Joonmyun and Chanyeol weren’t immune to the feelings of being overwhelmed that sweep across their year.

They spent their free time studying for the exams, their heads a dizzy mess of facts and dates, acronyms and mnemonic devices enough to make a verifiable alphabet soup with them all. Kyungsoo helped them out some, quizzing them with their selfmade flash cards. Chanyeol had done the same for Seokjin, Yoongi, and Namjoon the year before. He’d also done so for Minseok as well, although to a lesser extent. The beta had a remarkable memory and seemed to do better studying alone.

They studied like mad men for two months, until finally it was the day before the exams were set to start. Their teachers had told them all to take a break from studying, that it would be better for them to relax and renew their minds rather than trying to cram in anymore information.

As soon as Baekhyun and Jongdae got wind of such instructions they proceeded to goad Joonmyun and Chanyeol into participating in a massive water balloon fight that involved half the school. It had seemed innocent enough, so they had agreed to it without giving it much thought. But as Baekhyun explained the rules to those that they’d roped into their game in the courtyard, there was, of course, more to it than it had first appeared.

Hidden around the campus in containers of various size and appearance were the water balloons. Jongdae had whined about it taking them nearly three days to fill them all. The rules were simple enough. Get one to burst on someone else, and don’t get hit yourself. The game would start when Baekhyun tossed the first balloon he was holding in his hand.

“Tossed” would be an understatement. Baekhyun threw it purposefully, winding up and letting it fly directly towards Jongin. It caught the young wolf off guard, he didn’t even move to dodge or try and catch it. The balloon hit him square in the shoulder, bursting on impact and drenching his upper body and splashing the few unfortunate to be standing next to him. But Baekhyun and Jongdae were Baekhyun and Jongdae. It wasn’t just water in the balloon, but pink-colored dye. For a brief moment everyone was too stunned to do anything. But then someone had shouted “Game on!” and everyone scattered to run, either for cover or to find a stash balloons of their own.

Chanyeol has to admit that everytime he looks back at the afternoon he looks back at it with nothing but fond memories. The thrill of letting loose a water balloon and watching as it burst open to slash its victim a brilliant shade of pink. The surprise when the balloon that hit him square on the chest left his white shirt an electric shade of green instead. The delight in racing off to stay one step ahead of Taehyung, who was particularly determined to paint him a rainbow of colors before the game was over.

He remembers watching from a distance too far away to do anything as Minho cornered Joonmyun in a stairwell. The shock as the balloon Minho tossed doesn’t break on impact but bounces off of the prince’s face instead. And the horror as Joonmyun picked that same balloon up off the floor to slap it across Minho’s face, making sure that it would burst. The vivid orange that exploded forth stuck to his skin and hair. The two alphas then grappled for the unpopped balloon in Joonmyun’s other hand, Minho determined to strip it from Joonmyun and Joonmyun just as determined to keep a hold of it.

Joonmyun raised it above his head to try and protect it. But Minho was taller than him so it was all for nothing. Minho hardly had to reach up for his hands to gain enough of a hold to squeeze it enough to pop. Liquid rained down onto the two of them, painting them a royal looking blue while mixing with the smattering of other hues he and Minho had picked up in the battle. Joonmyun eyes danced as he burst into laughter. It probably was a case of laughing with him rather than at Minho, but Minho didn’t find it amusing in the slightest. Or if he did he showed it by launching himself at the Crown Prince, knocking him to ground and wrestling with him.

Chanyeol was still too far to do anything other than shout, not that that would have done any good anyway. He lobbed the two water balloons he’d been hoarding for the last few minutes in quick succession at Minho. They splashed across his back and shoulder, one after the other, adding yellow and purple to his collection of colors. But still, Minho and Joonmyun were locked in battle, uncaring about the ongoing bigger one that raged all around them.

Chanyeol saw Sehun running past him, a balloon in each hand. He quickly stuck out one of his gangly legs and tripped the fifth-year. One of the balloons popped as he hit the ground, but the other survived and Chanyeol used one hand to get Sehun to release his grip and the other to catch it before it fell. He turned and whipped it at the pair so quickly that it was all instinct, his wolf telling him the distance, the direction of the wind, and the amount of force necessary to make sure he hit his mark. It was a perfect throw.

He just hadn’t taken into account that Headmaster Kangta would be making an appearance. He walked into the line of fire at the worst possible moment. The balloon him him square in the face, bursting on impact and painting his face a vivid hue of red. For a second, it was as if time had stopped and the everyone who had witnessed the act was frozen, watching and waiting for the Headmaster’s reaction.

Chanyeol still remembers it all in slow motion. The way Headmaster Kangta blinked once, twice, and then a third time before turning his head in the direction the balloon had come from, the direction where Chanyeol stood. But if Kangta had been moving in slow motion, Chanyeol had been in fastforward. He quickly hightailed it out of there, not even stopping to see if Sehun had managed to get to his feet and run away as well. The Headmaster let out a growl of rage that stilled the entire campus.

The game was over in an instant, everyone rushing to get back to the showers and erase all evidence of their having partaken in the Academy-wide team bonding event. Chanyeol pitied those who only had the communal showers to use. There was no way there’d be enough to go around. At least his room had a private bathroom, so long as he was able to beat Joonmyun back to the room, which he was more than likely to do since Joonmyun would’ve had to get away from Kangta first.

Chanyeol made it back in record time, peeling out of his shirt before he even got back to the dorm. He flung it off somewhere between one floor and the next, uncaring of where it landed. He never saw the shirt again. He crashed through the door of his room and into the bathroom only to nearly run Kyungsoo over in his quest to make it into the shower.

Seemed the younger Prince was also of mind to rid himself of all trace of his participation. Ordinarily Chanyeol would have been more than happy to let Kyungsoo have the first shower. But this wasn’t an ordinary moment. This moment was all about self-preservation. Consequently, he was in no mood to give up the shower, even if Kyungsoo outranked him. It was, after all, his shower, not Kyungsoo’s, and he told him so as he peeled his jeans off, their wet state making them stick to his legs and forcing him to perform some acrobatic movements.

Kyungsoo, of course, refused to acknowledge the fact that this wasn’t his bathroom. To be fair, it was the only bathroom that the Prince had used his entire time here at the academy. He wouldn't even poop in any other one. But Chanyeol wasn’t going to budge. Kyungsoo could go shower in the communal showers for once just like everyone else.

“But I don’t want them to see me,” Kyungsoo whined. He covered his naked torso with his arms. the movement strange and awkward. Chanyeol found himself a bit perplexed at it, but before he had any time to figure out it’s meaning the sound of someone outside in the room interrupted them.

It was the Headmaster calling out to see if he or Joonmyun was there.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo made a desperate dash for the shower. Chanyeol made it in first. He had already stripped, didn’t have the burden of his pants being halfway down his legs and restricting his movement. Kyungsoo might have made in too, were it not for Chanyeol pushing him back with a gentle but firm shove to his face.

Chanyeol pulled the curtain closed just in time as Kangta pushed the door to the bathroom open. He tried to control his breathing, taking deep and slow breaths so that he wouldn’t make a sound. All the while, Headmaster Kangta proceeded to interrogate the half dressed Kyungsoo about the whereabouts of his brother, Minho or Chanyeol. Kyungsoo answered the first two honestly, and to his credit made no attempt to reveal Chanyeol’s location.

It went on a bit longer before Kangta told Kyungsoo he could continue going about his business. A part of Chanyeol was irked that the Headmaster never addressed the fact that Kyungsoo had obviously been caught red handed trying to hide the fact that he’d been involved in the water balloon fight. But he didn’t get to dwell on it long as Kyungsoo reached in to start the shower. It took everything within Chanyeol not to yelp as the first blast of cold water hit him square in the face. Chanyeol quickly adjusted the knobs to turn on the hot water instead of the cold and then stepped back as Kyungsoo pushed the curtain open just enough to climb over the edge of the tub to join him.

For a brief moment Kyungsoo seemed to blush, but it was a bit hard to tell if was just the warmth of the water or not. He proceeded to peel himself out of his now soaking jeans and briefs and dropped them into a wet pile outside on the floor. Only then did sounds of the the Headmaster leaving fill the air.

They held it in as long as they could before they both burst out laughing. But then the self-consciousness that Kyungsoo exhibited earlier returned and he tried to somehow manage to cover both his chest and his manhood. It was an odd thing for him to do. First of all they were wolves. Second, they’ve seen each other naked many times, and this was hardly their first time bathing together. But Chanyeol humored the young prince by taking a wash cloth and fashioning it into a makeshift bandana. He tied it around his eyes.

Of course, now that he couldn’t see, this meant that Kyungsoo had to the be the one to wash Chanyeol down. Someone smarter would have just waited until Kyungsoo was done and did it himself. But Chanyeol was saving his brains for the coming five days of testing. And besides, he was already in the shower.

-

It took the entire student body a good two hours to clean up the mess made from the water balloon fight. When they were done there wasn’t a single trace of broken balloons or bit of misplaced color on the grounds of the Academy. Headmaster Kangta had made good on his threat to withhold dinner that evening until the campus was spotless, but thankfully it only ended up being delayed by twenty minutes. It’s then that Chanyeol learned the reason for Kyungsoo’s earlier actions.

“How can Howon call you petite?” Baekhyun said though a mouthful of rice. “Myungsoo is so much more petite than you.”

Kyungsoo’s new self-consciousness about his body stemmed from the presentation classes that sixth-years took. The Academy used one of the best curriculum available to educate young wolves about the nature of alphas, betas, omegas, knots, heats, and slick. Headmaster Kangta himself taught many of the classes. But teenagers are teenagers, so teasing and lewd comments were always a given in any of those classes. Except those supposedly good natured words had flowed out of those classes and into the changing room one day.

By then, a few in their year had begun to fill out and give a hint to what they would present as. It didn’t actually mean anything, for Chanyeol knew many an alpha or omega whose body had hinted one way only to present the other. And then there were wolves like Joonmyun, whose body never hinted one way or the other and had yet to still develop into a traditional alpha’s body even after presenting. But tell that to a bunch of sixth-year boys.

Howon was one of those wolves whose body was beginning to gain muscle and hint at an alpha presentation. He’d taken a look at Kyungsoo’s small and slim build and made some comment about Kyungsoo being “petite.” It was an innocent enough word, and certainly a complement when used to describe a female. But when used on a male it had other connotations, ones attached to being softblood.

Chanyeol’s blood boiled when he heard Baekhyun’s remark. It cooled a little at hearing that Kyungsoo had repaid the comment with a few hits from his fists. But it stayed at an even simmer the rest of the night.

Joonmyun didn’t make an appearance at dinner nor during the rest of the evening. Though he tried not to show it, Kyungsoo was worried about his brother. Chanyeol was a little worried as well, but not for the same reasons as Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was worried because little brother’s are like that. Chanyeol was worried because Minho was missing too. And while the two had come a long way towards getting along with each other since Minho had been there to help fight off Jongin and his friends when Chanyeol had presented, they were still little more than friendly rivals. He only hoped that neither returned with bruises on their bodies and that they remembered the exams started at eight the next morning.

Kyungsoo wouldn’t go back to his room until he saw for his own eyes that Joonmyun was okay. But when it was almost midnight with still no appearance from the Crown Prince, Chanyeol told him to call it a night. The pup let out an annoyed huff of air and pulled back the covers to Chanyeol’s bed and climbed in. In deference to Kyungsoo’s new interest in modesty, Chanyeol left his basketball shorts on when he climbed in next to him.

Despite knowing he needed to get some rest before the exams the next day, sleep eluded him. Not because of his worry for Joonmyun, but rather because he couldn’t get comfortable. It was the first time since he’d presented that he was wearing something while sleeping. When Kyungsoo complained about Chanyeol’s restlessness he told him as such.

Kyungsoo rolled over to look him in the eye for a moment before he let out an exasperated sigh and flung the covers off of them. He reached out and proceeded to strip Chanyeol of his shorts, tossing them aside once he’d freed them from Chanyeol’s long legs. The matter dealt with, Kyungsoo pulled the covers back over them and turned over to go back to sleep.

It might have worked, except now that Chanyeol thought about it, he really shouldn’t be with the Prince in such a position. It wasn’t a matter of their different aspects, of Chanyeol being an alpha and Kyungsoo not. Kyungsoo hadn’t presented yet and was still considered a pup. It was more a matter that he was a minor Lord and Kyungsoo was a Prince. As the Alpha King had said two summers ago, the two Princes would need to learn to get on without him. Joonmyun would need to learn to do things without Chanyeol at his side, and Kyungsoo would need to learn to deal with things without running to Chanyeol to solve them for him.

It was only then that it hit him. He’d thought that Kyungsoo had learned to stand on his own two feet, learned to deal with things on his own. He rarely went to Joonmyun for anything anymore. But now that he laid in bed thinking about it, really replaying the last six years in his head, he realized that Kyungsoo didn’t go to Joonmyun anymore because he came to Chanyeol instead. 

Sure Kyungsoo didn’t come to him for everything, but if needed something then he would come to Chanyeol before going to Joonmyun. He had effectively replaced Joonmyun as hyung. What would the Alpha King say if he knew about this? He probably already did. He’d known a bunch of things about their time at the Academy that Chanyeol thought he wouldn’t have. And what would others in the nobility say? What would Lord Taecyeon have to save about this? His racing thoughts had him shifting on the bed, still unable to get comfortable.

Kyungsoo rolled over and scooted closer to him, nestling himself against Chanyeol’s larger body. He threw one of his legs over Chanyeol’s as if to pin him into stillness and told him to go to sleep, a light growl of annoyance in his voice.

Surprisingly, it worked.

-

Joonmyun didn’t reappear until the next morning. He and Minho walked into the testing room together just before the exams were set to begin. Chanyeol eyed him the entire time it took Joonmyun to walk to his assigned seat two rows away from Chanyeol but the Crown Prince pointedly avoided meeting his gaze. When Minho settled into the seat next to Chanyeol, Chanyeol turned his glare on him. No bruises, at least none that were visible. But before Chanyeol could begin interrogating Minho it was time for the exams to begin.

Chanyeol pushed everything but the exams out of him mind and opened up his test booklet and started. He was going to pass these exams with flying colors if it killed him, not for himself nor for his family. No, he was going to ace them for Joonmyun. Because he knew that Joonmyun had studied like hell all summer and fall for them, and he had helped Chanyeol study for them as well. Chanyeol would be dammed if he let his roommate and best friend down.

The next five days are a blur in Chanyeol’s memory. He remembers testing for hours each day stopping only to eat. In the evening, he was too tired to do anything else other than watch something mindless on the television in the common room. Taehyung tried to get him to use their evenings to cram more for the exams the next day, but Hoseok had laughed at him. “If you don’t know it by know you won’t learn it in time for the test tomorrow,” he’d said. Chanyeol was inclined to agree with him.

It was during one of those nights that Chanyeol got the full story of what had happened to Joonmyun after the water balloon fight. Minho was captain of the soccer team, and as such, he’d been gifted a key to the locker rooms. After seeing Kangta get hit directly in the face with a balloon he’d taken off immediately for the sanctuary they offered. Apparently, the Headmaster never ventured near them if he could help it. Joonmyun had simply followed after him.

Not knowing the extent of the Headmaster’s anger - not that they had been in any real trouble, they’d been grappling right in front of him and were obviously not the ones who’d thrown the balloon - they’d camped out in the locker rooms all night. Somehow between then and the next morning they managed to not only not hurt each other but also develop the beginning of what might one day flourish into a friendship. If Chanyeol had known that all it took was locking them into a locker room alone together he would have done it a long time ago.

Still, the identity of who really threw the water balloon that day was the talk of the Academy for weeks afterwards. So far as Chanyeol knows, only two people knew the truth: Sehun and himself. The best that Headmaster Kangta could come up with was that it was Baekhyun or Jongdae, but they had a dozen witnesses placing them at the other end of the campus at the time of the incident.

Sehun has never breathed a word about it to anyone despite his frequent claims to one day accidentally do so. Sometimes the alpha, which he would eventually present as some two years later, still holds it over Chanyeol’s head as a sort of blackmail. Not that it would matter anyway. Chanyeol had confessed his sin right after graduation, well after it was too late for the Headmaster to do anything in retaliation. So make that three people who knew the truth.

-

The scores are released in late winter, just in time for universities to start making their decisions about who to accept and who not to accept. True to Kyungsoo’s suggestion, Joonmyun’s top choice was SBS. Chanyeol had settled his hopes on two universities, Mnet or tvN. He didn't care much which, although tvN was closer to SBS.

There are three important parts to the scores: the individual scores of the five individual tests, their combined weighted score, and where you ranked in terms of the scores. Teachers stressed the importance of the raw and combined scores over the rankings. After all, you could get a really good score but still get a low ranking. It all depended on the number of students taking the exams that year and the types of scores everyone else got. Minseok was the brightest person that Chanyeol knew, but all his brains only got him a rank of 99. There must have been a lot of smart people taking the exams last year.

But boys will be boys, and boys like to be ranked. They like the thought of knowing there's a hierarchy of some sorts to follow. Chanyeol was ranked 61, an amazingly high ranking when you considered how many thousands of eighth-years took the test that year. Minho only placed into the top 1000 and that was still considered respectable. Joonmyun never revealed his rank, at least not then when it was all that their year could talk about. It came later on in a rather big and dramatic fashion.

It came in the spring when letters from the universities began to arrive at the academy to announce their decision on admissions. Chanyeol got letters from both Mnet and tvN on the same day, two largely identical thick manila envelopes. He hadn’t even opened them when Jongdae had offereded his congratulations at being accepted to both. Chanyeol thought that was rather presumptuous of him, but Jongdae laughed at his so called modesty.

“Everyone knows that rejection letters come in simple, letter sized envelopes,” Jongdae said. “Those have pamphlets so think they’re probably textbooks.”

Put that way, Chanyeol had to agree that they were most likely both acceptance letters. He’d thought that Joonmyun would be happy for him, but while there had been a smile on the Crown Prince’s face, there was a look to him that said he wasn’t quite happy. All he said was that Chanyeol should wait until he heard back from SBS. Joonmyun had convinced Chanyeol to be crazy for a moment and apply for the prestigious university. It made no difference to him, so he agreed to wait for their rejection letter before making his final decision.

For all the drama he’d made about it earlier in the year, Joonmyun had been ever the dutiful Crown Prince and had simply applied to all three of the big three universities: SBS, KBS, and MBC even if he had already ruled the last one out. His crazy choices were JTBC, YTN, and tvN. He got acceptance letters from all six of them.

MBC must have somehow gotten wind that they were not the favored choice, for they sent someone out to try and court the Prince into choosing their school. Joonmyun was allowed to bring two friends with him to the Headmaster’s office to serve as confidants and advisors. Chanyeol and Minho hadn’t been available that day, but from what Taehyung and Hoseok had said the man had been pretty persuasive. Yet Joonmyun had just politely listened before sending him on his way. Poor guy hadn’t even stood a chance.

Naturally, this led to KBS and SBS sending out representatives of their own. First came KBS, and this time Chanyeol and Taehyung went with Joonmyun. KBS had sent a pair of representatives, a burly alpha of a professor and an animated omega girl who did most of the talking. Chanyeol couldn’t tell you what she’d said though, her voice was so high pitched it was like listening to a chipmunk and it had been all he and everyone else in the room could do to not burst out laughing. It must have been Joonmyun’s royal blood that allowed him to keep a straight face as he thanked her for the “delightfully passionate argument” for why he should attend.

SBS sent only one representative. Yoona had an air of confidence about her that made you second guess the beta vibe she gave off, but she was more than friendly enough. Minho certainly liked her. He, Joonmyun, and Chanyeol all sat across from her on the couch in the Headmaster’s office. She must had known the deck was stacked in her favor because Joonmyun actually engaged in conversation with her, asking her all types of questions. At the end of the almost hour long conversation she went in for the kill, asking if she could count on him joining them in the fall?

Joonmyun’s smile was bright for all of two seconds before his face fell into one of sadness. He shocked everyone there in the office by saying he that he would love to, but his test scores weren’t good enough.

Yoona quickly rifled through the papers in her bag to pull out his application. She assured him that he was mistaken, his test scores and ranking were more than enough to gain him entry into SBS, not to mention he had written a wonderful essay that she’d even read herself. She laid it all out on the table for everyone to see. When Chanyeol glanced down at the papers he was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked back up at Joonmyun only to see the Crown Prince wearing one of his rare roguish grins.

“That’s not me,” he said, indicating the papers on the desk with a quick jerk of his head. “The test scores, the rank, the transcript, the essay, even most of the resume isn’t me. The only thing there that’s me is the name on the top of the paper.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small white envelope. It was a rejection letter from SBS, a letter addressed to Park Chanyeol. He took out the two pages inside - the first a formal rejection, the second a summary of the application - and added it to the papers on the desk. “These scores, these grades, this essay, this is me. Ranked first in the Kingdom, and not good enough to get into SBS. Or was it just the name at the top?”

For a moment nobody said anything. They were all too stunned. Chanyeol himself couldn’t believe that Joonmyun had pulled something like this. Then Yoona reached out and picked up the rejection papers. She studied them for a while, looking back and forth between them and the papers still lying on the table, and then at Chanyeol. How she’d known who he was wasn’t too hard to figure out, Chanyeol had become a household name after the controversy two summers ago.

She asked him if those were his scores and his essay on the table. And perhaps more importantly, she asked him if he knew anything about this trickery. Chanyeol told her the truth. Except for the name, that was him on Joonmyun’s application. And no, he’d had no idea about this.

She stared at him straight in the eyes, as if she was a human lie detector. But Chanyeol had nothing to hide so he held her gaze, even if he did blink more than he normally would. She must have liked what she saw for she reached back into her bag and pulled out two welcome packets. She placed one welcome packet in front of Chanyeol and the other in front of Joonmyun. Then she held her hand out for a handshake. But with that grin still full of trouble, Joonmyun reached out and moved his packet to rest in front of Minho, as if he hadn’t asked for enough already. Yoona shook her head but nevertheless reached back into her bag for another welcome packet.

This time it was Joonmyun who stuck his hand out. “Welcome to SBS, your Highness,” Yoona said as she shook it.

-

It turned out Minho had already been accepted into SBS, but the gesture had been a nice one on Joonmyun’s part. But his family could afford to send him to such a distinguished school. Chanyeol’s could not. He was sure that him going to SBS would bankrupt his family. So logically, Chanyeol was going to refuse SBS’s offer of admission. But Joonmyun played dirty by involving his father. A week of long conversations on the phone with him convinced Chanyeol that it wouldn’t be the huge financial burden on the family that he thought it would be. They’d have to make some adjustments, but it wasn’t going to bring them to their ruin.

Spring passed by in a blur, and soon enough it was time for finals and then graduation. The Academy always tried to keep things as normal as possible, but how normal could it be when the population of the school suddenly doubled. And this year was especially special, for it wasn’t every year that the Crown Prince graduated. It seemed like everyone in the whole Kingdom was descending on the Academy to wish him well.

The press was there too, there was always one or two of them around if you looked hard enough, but in keeping with wolflike conventions, they respected the privacy of the Royal Family and all the other families who were there to celebrate. In fact they were largely absent for most of the meaningful events, including the actual graduation ceremony itself. As far as Chanyeol could tell, only Taeyeon and her cameraman were there.

The after ceremony feast was one for the records books, the best that Chanyeol had ever attended. But he supposed that everyone felt that way about their own graduation feast. But it was great to celebrate with all of his family and his friends. He especially loved watching Kyungsoo blush when his sister had asked him for a dance. The pup suddenly didn’t know what to do with his feet.

Chanyeol never wanted the feelings of joy and happiness he was experiencing to end. Yet all the same, everything comes to an end eventually. First it was the feast, ending in the wee hours of the morning. And later that afternoon, it was his time at the Academy all together. His parents carried most of his belongings down to the car for him, letting him round up the last few of his things and say goodbye to Joonmyun in private.

It all felt so different. It felt final, as if the moment he walked out the door he’d never see Joonmyun or Kyungsoo ever again, and Chanyeol had to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

In a rare switch of roles, it was Joonmyun who comforted him this time, pulling him into the fiercest of hugs and telling him that everything was going to be alright. They were going to be attending SBS together in the fall. They were going to find some ratty old apartment to slum it in. They were going to host parties every Friday and crash others on Saturdays.

Yes, this was an end. But it was also a beginning.

It’s funny how you can wish for things to change so much and yet long for things to stay the same just as hard. There in the warmth of Joonmyun’s arms, Chanyeol almost wished that they would never grow up. Because he had a place in Joonmyun’s childhood, a place in his heart and his life. But he didn’t know if he would have one in his future.

Joonmyun let him go and told him to clean up before Kyungsoo saw him like that. The comment brought a chuckle from Chanyeol, and he followed instructions, wiping the tears from his eyes.

The Crown Prince crossed over to his desk and picked up something before crossing back over to Chanyeol. It was the picture of Kyungsoo, except this year it has all three of them in it, a selca Joonmyun had taken of them when they’d visited Minseok last summer. All without a word, Joonmyun placed it gently in Chanyeol’s backpack and then zipped it closed.

It must have been the emotions of the moment, because looking back Chanyeol has no other explanation of why he said what he said. But they were roommates and friends, the best of friends, really. They were practically brothers by choice.

“I love you, Joonmyun.” Chanyeol said. And Joonmyun said it back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that almost got skipped. Glad I didn't though. From here on out the chapters will begin to stray from being anchored around one academic school year.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words aren't coming, so I decided to use my time to cross post this instead. Maybe it will give me some motivation.

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Truth be told, Chanyeol has to admit that his college experience wasn't exactly the usual college experience. Despite Joonmyun’s claims on their last day at the Academy, the two of them most definitely, most positively, and most assuredly were not slumming it.

Joonmyun absolutely refused to live in a dorm. He had lived in a dorm room at the Academy for eight years of his life. There was little else for him to experience about it, save for maybe being of age to buy liquor when they were nineteen. But that was only a year away. Thus, with dorming not an option, the only other alternative was for him to get an apartment. Of course, Joonmyun’s plans included a room for Chanyeol as well.

Though they'd put up a token bit of resistance, the Alpha King and Changmin eventually gave in to their son’s wishes. How could they not when they’d been ambushed by their son during dinner one night with an elaborate and thorough proposal. He’d covered all his bases, his main selling point being that living in a private apartment would afford the Crown Prince a better measure of security. Unlike the Academy, which was located in Tokju, where it was really the only thing of note, SBS was in Ikwon, a bustling city. And while there were no real threats to the Crown Prince, it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

Chanyeol wasn't there to witness Joonmyun’s pitch, but Kyungsoo had regaled him with the details over the phone mere minutes after he had gained his parents’ approval. Joonmyun took over the call a few minutes later, telling Chanyeol not to worry about anything, even paying his half of the rent. Joonmyun would do all the work to find a suitable apartment and sign the lease, all Chanyeol had to do was show up. That hadn't set well with Chanyeol, he wasn't about to be a freeloader. He wanted to pull his own weight, at least as much of it as he could. Joonmyun protested at first, but he relented in the end, simply saying that it was something their parents would discuss. 

Being his usual picky and over analyzing self, Joonmyun took a long time to settle on an apartment. The place he'd eventually selected wasn't particularly large nor was it a fancy, modern one. But it was definitely not anyone's definition of slumming it. Any apartment that had a doorman could never be considered as such. What it was, however, was warm and homey, a brownstone with a lot of history. They lived on the top floor, apartment 6H. It had two large bedrooms and a spacious living room. The bathroom was on the smaller side, but it had amazing water pressure. And perhaps the apartment’s best feature, was the amazing views of the river that could be seen from any of the windows of the apartment.

It took some adjusting to having their own bedrooms. They’d spent almost every night for the past eight years listening to each other’s breathing as they fell asleep. The first month or so Joonmyun would sometimes make the journey down the hall in the middle of the night to crawl into Chanyeol’s bed, claiming it was too quiet. Chanyeol almost suggested they just put both their beds in the same room, but he held back. While it had been cute when they were younger, they were now young adults, and alphas at that. Plus, Chanyeol remembered his talk with Yunho the day they’d gotten their driver’s licenses. He needed to let the Crown Prince learn to stand on his own, to draw some lines in the sand. He figured separate rooms was as good enough a place to start as any.

Per the negotiated agreement, Joonmyun and Chanyeol had to make do without any maid or butler service. Changmin had been adamant that if they were going to live on their own they were going to do it right. From their third year on, they’d always been responsible for tidying their own dorm room, so the cleaning wasn't anything new, just extended to include a few more rooms. But the Academy had provided all of their meals, so having to cook was an adjustment. After the first few weeks they decided that Chanyeol would do most of the cooking and Joonmyun would stick to doing the dishes. It was better for for their stomachs, and cleaner too. How Joonmyun managed to get sauce on the ceiling was beyond Chanyeol.

September came and went and led into October, and all in all, daily life felt much like it had at the Academy, except now the school was coed instead of all boys. But then again, Chanyeol reasoned that when one spent their teenage years at a boarding school, college life really wasn't all that new from the life you left behind. The only thing that was truly new was the hands off approach of the faculty and staff at SBS. College students were adults, at least on paper if not in actual maturity level.

Some of the students who hadn't grew up in boarding schools reveled in their new found freedom. But Joonmyun and Chanyeol took it in stride, plus Yunho had sat both of them down and gave them a lecture on the importance of maintaining a good public image. He had threatened both with unspecified punishments should any major scandals come to light. The look in the Alpha King’s eyes had been more frightful than any look Chanyeol’s mother had ever given him, and no offense to the Alpha King, but she was the most fearsome person he knew.

They never did hold any Friday night parties at their apartment. In fact, they never held one on any night. It was too much of a security risk, Joonmyun had said. But that was merely a flimsy excuse, one that Chanyeol was content to let lie. Even without Yunho’s ominous threat above their heads, being the prim and proper Crown Prince was so much a part of who Joonmyun was that Chanyeol knew he would never have it in him to ever let go and let loose. At least not with so many witnesses. Plus, Joonmyun hated cleaning. Throwing parties meant cleaning up before and afterwards, and Joonmyun wasn't about to do anymore of that than he had to.

That's not to say they didn't attend any parties, they simply did so selectively. They did not, however, crash any parties. It seemed that being the Crown Prince or his best friend meant that there was a standing invitation to any party held by the students of SBS, or any university really. But even then Joonmyun never let himself go freely. Chanyeol would by lying if he said they never indulged in any spirited liquors before turning nineteen, but they weren’t stupid. They never once drank anything that they hadn't seen unsealed in front of one of them, and they always kept their drinks in hand at all times. Joonmyun always stopped at two, while being of larger build, Chanyeol would occasionally do three.

Minho, unfortunately, took his time learning to have the same restraint. He and Joonmyun had both joined the fencing team as a way to get involved in the student activities. The Prince had tried to get Chanyeol to join as well, but while Chanyeol was good, probably better than both of them back then at least, he decided to get a job instead. He'd found a work study that would help offset some of the costs of his tuition and give him a little spending money.

It was at a party hosted by one of the seniors on the team that Minho finally got wasted enough to see the light. It was the first party that Joonmyun had gone to without him, feeling comfortable enough with Minho at his side. Chanyeol may or may not have waited up for Joonmyun to come back home, or at least to hear word that he was spending the night safe somewhere else, and it was well after midnight when the call came. It was Seokjin’s number, but it was Joonmyun’s voice on the line. He sounded desperate and at the end of his rope.

Joonmyun had tried to cut Minho’s drinking off, an idea that the young alpha had not agreed with. When Joonmyun had pulled out his phone to call Chanyeol for help, Minho had grabbed it from his hands and tossed it into the punch bowl, and who knew where his own phone was. It took Joonmyun two hours to find someone else who had Chanyeol’s number. It was only by coincidence that he'd run into Seokjin, the only other guy who’d gone to the Academy in attendance at the party.

By the time Chanyeol got there, Minho was beyond three sheets to the wind, balancing precariously on the railing of the second floor balcony of a neighboring house in all his naked glory singing an off tune rendition of Ring Ding Dong, the latest hit song on the charts. At least he had refrained from attempting any of the fancy hip thrusting choreography. They never did find his clothes that evening, and Chanyeol had to carry him back to the apartment on his back.

Somewhere along the way Minho managed to throw up all over Chanyeol. The hangover he woke up with the next morning had him nauseous for two days straight. But if anything, it was the embarrassment of the videos that made their way around the student body that made him wise up to the perils of unchecked drinking. Unfortunately, Minho was competitive, push the right buttons and you could get him to forget said lesson learned and Joonmyun and Chanyeol would be called in to rescue him again. It happened more often than anyone of his standing should have allowed it, but boys will be boys. Chanyeol knows there are more than a few photos and videos of the alpha hidden away in his files, and he for sure isn't the only one who has them.

Oh, and Chanyeol made sure that Joonmyun memorized his number just in case anything similar of the sort ever happened again. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. Chanyeol would never tell, he isn’t Joonmyun’s best friend for no reason.

-

Living off campus meant a quieter life, away from all of the crazy antics of the other college students. But life always finds a cadence to run to. By winter, they had fully adjusted and settled into their new routine. Despite the rigors of their classes, after enduring the intensity of the Academy they felt relatively easy, or at least no more of a challenge than they were accustomed to.

The change of school brought with it a change in their circle of friends. SBS easily had 31,000 students, so the number of people they met and interacted with more than quadrupled. Plus, as one could expect, anyone and everyone tried to get to know Joonmyun. He was especially popular with the ladies, but the Crown Prince was no casanova. It seemed that his years attending the all boys Academy had left him more than a bit lacking in the finer art of interacting with those of the opposite sex. Either that, or he was really just oblivious to their flirtations.

Minho had told Chanyeol he needed to give him lessons, but it wasn’t like Chanyeol had any experience either. And besides, Chanyeol didn’t have the time for such social endeavors, and it wasn’t like Joonmyun was actively looking for them either. He was more than likely to hold others off at a distance. It was almost like their first year back at the Academy, the one where Joonmyun didn't really have any friends. The difference was that now Joonmyun did have friends, he was simply extremely selective about who he let into that exclusive circle.

Their senior and fellow Academy alumnus Seokjin made the cut. Joonmyun was forever grateful for their coincidental run in at that party. Also a year older was Siwan, an omega of common status, albeit a wealthy one. He'd taken a gap year, and so while he was older than Joonmyun, they shared a few classes as he was only in his first year at the university. Occasionally, Dongjun, an alpha of minor standing would also enter their fold, but that was merely because he clearly fancied Siwan and didn't like the fact that Joonmyun, Chanyeol, Minho and Seokjin were all alphas.

Joonmyun’s relationship with Minho was no longer adversarial in any way, shape or form. They never stopped being rivals, but it had morphed into that strange sort of rivalries that one often saw played out on the television, where friends were also honorable opponents because they were the only ones worthy enough be each other’s rival. So long as neither spurred the other on to do something stupid, Chanyeol let them have their pretend animosity.

And through it all, Chanyeol remained Joonmyun’s best and closest friend.

-

In late winter came another phone call. But this time it wasn't from anyone at SBS, it was from the Academy. It was Jongdae, and though there was concern in his voice, the fact that he wasn’t panicked helped Chanyeol fight his own worry.

It seemed that Kyungsoo had caught a cold.

Humans liked to believe that wolves had super healing and never fell ill, but that was far from the truth. While they did heal at a faster rate than normal humans, it was only a little faster, barely enough to really matter in the grand scheme of things. And while wolves did have better immune systems, they did occasionally fall sick, especially when under stress.

The week prior had seen a string of days with wild temperature swings, going from wonderfully pleasant to horribly frigid very quickly. Jongdae and Baekhyun had lured Kyungsoo out into the woods for a day of fun and been caught unaware and unprepared for such fluctuations. The unfortunate consequence was that the young Prince ended up succumbing to the elements and falling ill.

It wasn't anything life threatening, and according to Jongdae, Kyungsoo was nearly almost back to his normal self. But apparently he'd cried out for his hyung a few times in his sleep while he'd been fighting his fever and Baekhyun and Jongdae thought it best to call and tell Joonmyun about it, ask him to visit during the weekend.

Chanyeol thought it was a sign of maturity that the two terrors had thought to call. They'd both come a long way since that night in the woods. Only problem was, Joonmyun was on the road with Minho and the rest of the fencing team for a string of tournaments. He wouldn't be back until the middle of next week.

He heard the muffled voice of Jungkook in the background, saying that Chanyeol should visit instead. Baekhyun’s voice also came through the phone, seconding the suggestion.

“He should,” he said. “Kyungsoo didn't say which hyung he wanted. Shouldn't matter which one of them comes.” And then he added, “Maybe Chanyeol can talk some sense into the pup.”

Chanyeol took note of the way Baekhyun had called Kyungsoo a pup. Only someone who had presented would say such a thing. He must have presented just before Kyungsoo had fallen ill, else Kyungsoo would have told him of it during one of their semi-frequent exchanges of texts.

But Baekhyun’s new status wasn't important at the moment. Kyungsoo was. Jongdae repeated the suggestion, and Chanyeol played along as if he hadn't overheard the other two. It was Thursday, and back then he'd only had one class on Fridays. Unlike most college freshmen, Chanyeol had never once missed a day of class, but there was a first time for everything. He thought of setting out immediately, but if Jongdae’s tone was anything to go by then Kyungsoo wasn’t dying. He’d just as well grab a few hours of shut eye and set out early the next morning.

He woke a full quarter hour before what he'd adjusted his alarm for. He took a quick shower and then hastily shoved a change of clothes and a few other essentials into his gym bag before rushing off to catch a bus back to campus to get Minho’s car at the dorms. Minho had left the keys with Chanyeol in case of emergency. He was long gone before even the earliest of professors set foot on campus.

When he got to the Academy, Chanyeol tried to keep as low a profile as possible. But his return was met with a welcoming party that included none other than Headmaster Kangta. To be fair, it wasn’t actually a welcoming party. The Headmaster had simply been up at the crack of dawn to mete out punishment to a bunch of sixth years. Jongin and Sehun stood out among those having to run laps around the Academy morning. Sehun looked happy to see him, but he didn’t stop his laps for fear of adding more onto his total. Jongin didn’t even look up, but then again the pup had never really forgiven Chanyeol for taking a bite out of his arm, even if he had been the one who been in the wrong in the first place.

Chanyeol stayed only long enough to exchange quick pleasantries with his old Headmaster before quickly making his way to the room he and Joonmyun had once shared. Kyungsoo had inherited it in their absence. He punched Kyungsoo’s birthday into the keypad, the code that Joonmyun had chosen back way in their first year at the Academy. Sure enough, the door clicked open and Chanyeol walked in.

His eyes instinctively looked towards the bed on the right, and for a moment it was if he had never left. Kyungsoo had always slept with Chanyeol when he'd spent the night, and the sheets were still the same dark grey that it had been all eight years Chanyeol had called it his own. But a quick glance to the left side of the room revealed a sleeping Baekhyun, the bed now a midnight blue instead of royal red.

Chanyeol set his bag down and sat next to Kyungsoo’s sleeping form. He reached out and gently brushed the bangs from Kyungsoo’s forehead, letting his touch linger to test for any remnants of a fever. He was warm, but not overly so. Still, Kyungsoo nuzzled into the touch, as if he knew it was Chanyeol and not Baekhyun or Jongdae.

His eyes opened just a bit, barely enough for Kyungsoo to be able to see. His mouth formed the word “hyung,” but that wasn't the sound that came from his lips.

Chanyeol shushed him back to sleep, telling him that hyung was here now and everything would be okay. And even if they were but small and simple words they seemed to work. Kyungsoo drifted off back into sleep, and soon enough Chanyeol joined him.

He spent the entire weekend there, not leaving until late Sunday evening. True enough, Kyungsoo was back to his usual self by Saturday, but there was definitely something weighing on his mind. Chanyeol pieced it together sometime Friday afternoon, but he waited for Kyungsoo to bring it up himself. The young Prince took his time getting there, but he opened up eventually. It was on Sunday morning. They were on the rooftop of the Academy, looking down at the other students going about their own doings.

As Chanyeol had guessed, it all had to do with Kyungsoo’s lack of presenting. Jongdae had presented as a beta during the summer, something that had rankled Baekhyun since he was technically older. Jungkook had presented as an omega later that fall. Howon had been teasing him about the care package he’d received from Seokjin for his birthday and the poor thing had gone into his first heat right in the dining hall. And Baekhyun had apparently presented just before their frozen romp in the woods, going to bed a pup and waking up a beta.

Thus, Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Jungkook were no longer considered pups, and yet Kyungsoo was. It didn't mean that anything was wrong with him though. Pups presented according to their own time and way, and there were plenty of other seventh years who had yet to present. It was nothing for Kyungsoo to get himself get worked up about.

But Kyungsoo wasn't comparing himself to them, didn't even care about the rest of the boys his age. Instead, he compared himself to Joonmyun and Chanyeol. Joonmyun, who had presented with clockwork precision on his sixteenth summer solstice. And Chanyeol, who had presented at the unheard of age of fourteen. He wanted to be like them; to be respected and seen as “good”.

There was a sadness in the way that Kyungsoo told him this, and Chanyeol supposed that it spoke to fact that these unvoiced thoughts that must have plagued Kyungsoo for some time. Chanyeol himself had never once compared the two Princes against each other. He saw them as two distinct people, perfectly amazing in their own right and way. But he guessed that for many it would be hard not to make comparisons. People often formed judgements without meaning to, and Kyungsoo was already at a slight disadvantage for being the younger brother. Top that off with being as yet unpresented, and Kyungsoo’s quiet, reserved, and analytical mind had no doubt worked itself up over it. No wonder Kyungsoo had fallen ill, his mind had added stress to his life where there needn't be any.

Chanyeol had turned Kyungsoo to face him and stared him right in the eyes. “You don't have to be just like Joonmyun, or even like me,” he told him. “Just be yourself, Prinsoo. You’re kind, loyal, smart, brave, patient; you're perfect just the way you are.”

“Even if I'm soft?” came the quiet and heart wrenching reply.

Anger flared through Chanyeol, and there was no way that Kyungsoo couldn't have scented it in the air. He pulled him into a hug, clutching him to his chest so hard that Kyungsoo almost couldn't breathe. How could anyone make the pup feel that he wasn't enough? He was more than enough. Always had been and always would be. He was perfect just the way he was. And Chanyeol told him so.

-

That summer, Chanyeol was awarded an internship at the regional offices where Seokjin’s father worked. It was on the other side of the country from Sukra, but the Kim family had graciously opened up their home and offered him a place to stay while he worked. Joonmyun wasn't too happy about Chanyeol going off on his own, but his own schedule was filled with work of his own to do. Work that was more princely and important than just running copies and grabbing coffee for regional officers.

It was strange, not having to pack up when they left for the summer. Even if they'd always returned to the same dorm room, they'd always packed up and vacated like everyone else at the Academy. But this time there was no need to. They only took what they needed and left the rest for their return in the fall.

No picture of Kyungsoo miraculously found its way into Chanyeol’s possession. Not that there weren’t any to be found in the apartment, there were at least three of them that were framed. The one in the living room had all three of them, taken the day of Joonmyun and Chanyeol’s graduation. The one on Joonmyun’s desk was of the two princes, a candid and relaxed picture that was actually an outtake from an official photo shoot the Royal Family had done.

But perhaps the more accurate reason Chanyeol didn’t take one with him that summer was because he didn’t need to. The third framed picture of Kyungsoo already sat on Chanyeol’s desk. It had been personally given to him by Kyungsoo himself to keep him company now that he had his own room. If Chanyeol spent more time than usual looking at the young Prince’s smile, that was nobody’s business but his own.


	10. Chapter 10

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little Prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

When he'd graduated from the Academy, Minseok had plans of becoming a doctor. But they had since changed, as plans sometimes do. He'd done a semester abroad the previous year and had apparently discovered that his tolerance for the sight of blood only went so far, something about there being a difference between blood on the outside of a body versus blood on the inside. Chanyeol didn't see much of a difference, but it was better to back out now rather than later. At least he won't have wasted his time getting a degree he wouldn't use.

So instead, Minseok had decided to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a financier. That, of course, necessitated a change in universities and thus brought him to SBS. His father hadn’t liked the idea much, not that he'd liked the first plan though either. He wanted his son to become a statesman like himself. He was still trying to persuade him about it right up until the day that he dropped him off on the steps of the university’s library.

Minseok probably doesn't know it, but Joonmyun had taken his father aside and talked to him. Chanyeol never asked what he’d told the elder Kim, but whatever it was it had gotten him off of Minseok’s back. There’d been a certain gleam in the Crown Prince’s eye when they’d returned, a gleam that said the prince was orchestrating one of his grand chess moves, but Chanyeol had been distracted before he could ask Joonmyun what he was scheming and he’d never remembered to ask him about it again.

Not that it mattered really. Chanyeol eventually figured it all out. But by then it was too late to try and stop it. Chanyeol doesn't even remember when he puzzled it all together. It was one of those things that just happened, except it happens so slowly that you don't realize it until you actually stop and take a step back and look. Kind of like growing up; you look at your face in the mirror everyday and never see the changes that are happening until your mother decides to whip out the pictures to embarrass you. By then it's too late, and all you can do is continue to move forward.

What Joonmyun had been doing, even way back then, was orchestrating events that would set things up for when he became Alpha King. Minseok didn't want to become a doctor? No problem, he could become an accountant, gain some years of experience, climb through the ranks, and then oh hey, look who was a good candidate for Minister of Finance.

Of course, all those realizations didn't happen until much later, probably not until they had all graduated and started their prospective careers. Back then, all that Chanyeol knew for certain, was that Joonmyun had quieted Minseok’s father’s worries, and they had gained another addition to their group of friends. The fact that Minseok was a beta greatly eased Dongjun’s fear of Siwan hanging out with a bunch of alphas, but he still made a point to join in from time to time. He'd somehow gotten it into his head that Joonmyun had more than platonic intentions with Siwan, and though the notion was completely baseless and untrue, Dongjun made sure to stake his claim, as it were. It was entertaining for them all to watch, more so because the omega was oblivious to it all. Chanyeol and the others never told him about it, and neither did Joonmyun.

But Minseok wasn't the only one who was questioning his future. Chanyeol himself was beginning to contemplate switching fields. He'd always thought he'd be a lawyer. His father was one, as was his father before him, and his before his. Yet after working under Seokjin’s father, that plan was beginning to waver.

Chanyeol had enjoyed his time in the regional offices. He'd thought he'd simply be a coffee and errand boy. And while yes, that had been a part of his duties, there had been plenty of more meaningful things for him to do as well. He'd gotten to observe how their government really worked at the local level, got to see how things were done, so to speak. Seokjin’s father had never once discouraged Chanyeol from asking questions. He was allowed to watch how council meetings ran and even got to sit in on a few closed door sessions. He was even asked to voice his opinions during those sessions once or twice.

They also let him write a few of the reports that the council used. There seemed to be an endless stream of reports that needed to be written. Sometimes he would finish one only to be told it was no longer current and needed to be revised. He especially hated those types of reports. Even seeing his name listed as a contributing author wasn't enough to erase that hatred, most days.

But Chanyeol didn't have to decide his future right then, unlike Minseok he was only in his second year, still clearing through his prerequisites. And fortunately, his pre-law classes would still be useful should he decide to pursue a career in the government. He had another year to ponder it before he had to make a decision. 

True to form, the only person he told about his wavering thoughts was Joonmyun. The Crown Prince was supportive either way, as any best friend should be, but sometimes Chanyeol replays that conversation in his head and wonders if that had been the start of it all. But then again, Joonmyun had probably been scheming since long before that. Seokjin had found out too, but only because he'd overheard Chanyeol on the phone with Joonmyun. He told Chanyeol that his father had been well pleased with his performance that summer, and should he desire to pursue a life of public service, his father would be more than willing to make a few calls.

Chanyeol didn't like the idea of using who he knew to get in the door. He wanted to do it on his own, make his own mark on the world so to speak. Besides, if worse came to worse, he did have a personal connection to the Alpha King himself. Not that he would ever play that card. Not only did Chanyeol believe in playing fair, but his wolf had always had a strong sense of honor.

Back when they’d all been at the Academy, Baekhyun had always joked that the reason he fit in so well between the the two Princes - Joonmyun being “uptight and stiff” and Kyungsoo being “conservative and reserved (and by that I mean boring)” - was because he was practically a saint. Jongdae, of course, pointed out that no saint had ever dyed someone's uniform bright prink. Chanyeol had merely laughed and pretended not to know what he was talking about. But deep down he’d thought to himself, saints were people too.

-

Hearing Minseok’s stories of his semester abroad had prompted Joonmyun to begin exploring the option of doing one of them himself. The urge to get out and try something new appealed to the young alpha. From a public relations standpoint it would actually be a good move for the Crown Prince, a way of showing he was mature and able to handle himself well even when confronted with the unfamiliar. 

He'd brought a few of the pamphlets home and asked Chanyeol for his thoughts on the matter. There were many opportunities available, universities in places far and wide. And at least in those initial early stages, there was no real consideration as to where he would actually go. It was all just talk back then, harmless half-dreams that were spoken in the midst of fun and jest, a way to break the monotony of the stress and endless studying of their second year.

But the idea began to grow in appeal as the year went on. Not only to the Crown Prince, but to Chanyeol as well, the idea of traveling and experiencing something new calling to the alphas within them and giving them the beginnings of a wander lust. By the time the winter solstice holidays came around, Joonmyun was serious enough about it to bring it up with his parents. As expected, they thought it was a wonderful idea. Changmin had a few concerns concerning the safety of Joonmyun abroad, but Joonmyun promised that he would make sure to pick a safe place and to be in daily contact with him even it was just a quick message to say that he was fine.

Chanyeol’s parents were just as supportive, maybe even more so because Chanyeol did not live with the same security concerns that Joonmyun did. Chanyeol tried to voice concerns about the cost of it all, but his father merely waved them away with jokes about Chanyeol thinking they must be destitute. The Parks were not the affluent family they had been in the past, but they were not broke, even with Chanyeol attending SBS and living in an apartment.

Still, this time Chanyeol stood his ground and refused to even give the matter and further consideration until he knew that his family wouldn't be forced to sell Sukra just to make it all happen. Just before he returned to Ikwon, his father sat him down in his study and presented him with the full picture of the family finances. Just as he'd thought, there wasn’t much cushion between the amount that his father and what remained of the Park estate brought in and the totality of all their expenses. Had they been a simple middle class family it might have been enough, but they weren't. They were minor members of the nobility and they had an estate to maintain. Sukra was well cared for, but it was old. Unexpected expenses sometimes cropped up, and when they did, they were costly ones.

Chanyeol took a hard look at the figures and decided that perhaps if he adjusted his spending and maybe got a better paying job he could look at going on a trip after he got his degree instead. But his father protested. A semester abroad would be more useful and more educational than a simple celebratory vacation after the fact.

He pointed out a list to Chanyeol. It had a number of assets and their estimated value to the Park estate. It seemed that while Chanyeol had been only focused on the amount of money in the family bank accounts, they were worth more than he thought, at least on paper. 

“Yes, we aren't cash rich, Chanyeol,” his father said. “But we have the means for you to do things. I don't know where you got it into your head otherwise.”

Chanyeol took a second look at the list. The things listed were items such as land holdings, silent partnerships in a few local businesses, and stock holdings in various profitable companies. They were all valuable assets, they just didn't bring in any money, at least not regularly. They probably wouldn't bring any in unless they were sold, and Chanyeol definitely didn't want that to happen, not for just a semester abroad.

His father just smiled and told him that if worst came to worst, he could borrow. Their family name still had a lot of clout, after all. But he doubted it would ever come to that. Chanyeol was probably the most frugal Park that had ever been born. Yoora was constantly trying to get him to lose his purse strings whenever they’d venture into the city.

Finally persuaded, Chanyeol headed back to SBS with his mind set on making it all happen. He also relaxed his spending habits a little, no longer saying no to simple pleasures such as lattes from coffee shops or the occasional night out with friends. If Joonmyun noticed the slight increase in Chanyeol’s social life he never said anything. But then again, Chanyeol was still Chanyeol, so it wasn’t very much at all.

-

The second half of the year brought a surprising addition to their group, Yixing. The human prince was on a gap year, having just graduated the year before. He'd spent the fall and winter exploring a few countries overseas before traveling through Nihon. A banking scandal had rocked the Zhouite economy, causing the value of their currency to fall rapidly. Unfortunately, his brother had only authorized a certain amount of funding for his gap year, and amount that wasn't going to be renegotiated despite its decreased buying power. Thus, he'd decided to try his hand at earning some extra spending money in Goryeo. Seemed that he wasn't too keen on letting the Zhouite media get wind of him doing odd jobs. And while the Nihonite media wasn't as in your face as the Zhouite one was, it was nowhere near the almost non-existent Goryite one.

That was the story that Yixing told them all, and there was certainly a lot of truth to it, especially the troubled Zhouite economy. But Chanyeol knew it was missing a few things. Not that those missing elements changed the story much. They just filled in some minor details, painted a better picture.

Yixing had actually blown through his money a lot faster than he’d professed to, his lack of planning and restraint only serving to exacerbate the damage the weak economy was doing to his funds. He'd been in Nihon by the time he realized just how little he had left to work with, and not wanting to admit his impoverished state to his brother, he reached out to Joonmyun for help instead.

Joonmyun had fronted him the money to travel to Ikwon and offered the couch in their apartment as a place to lay his head for the time being. Yixing happily accepted, grateful for both a place to stay and that he didn't have to return home early. And while he did pick up a few odd jobs, Joonmyun actually supplemented most of his spending. 

At first Chanyeol had resented the two princes, Joonmyun for his carefree attitude towards money, and Yixing for his carelessness towards it. Here he was, worried about how he was going to pay for a semester abroad and they were spending like they had the whole budgets of their respective countries to support them. Granted he’d just found out he didn't need to worry about how to pay for things, but such blatant lack of understanding of the value of money was more than he could take. Just as he'd done to Joonmyun when he'd finally had enough of the Crown Prince’s mess, he used the moment as a learning opportunity.

He sat the both of them down around their dining table, Minho too since Chanyeol had had to go rescue him from another party the night before. He laid it all out for them to see, contrasting his own situation with the two princes’ ones. He laid it out thick and heavy. Yixing would later tell him he'd felt as if he were being chastised by his father, something that Chanyeol supposes is a good thing seeing how Yixing only had fond memories of the late king. Afterwards, Yixing was contrite and apologized. Joonmyun was too, although in the moment all he could think about was “Why couldn't Minseok say everything so plainly instead of using all those fancy words?” Seemed he too had tried to lecture the princes and had achieved less than desirable results. And as for Minho, all he could say was that he was too hungover for any of it to make sense.

But the talk worked. Joonmyun pulled back on how much he freely gave away to Yixing, and Yixing was more careful of the amount he spent. He picked up a slew of more odd jobs, no longer being picky and instead accepting pretty much anything. It changed his attitude about things too, the way that he’d spend his money and what he'd choose to spend it on as well. He still made the most of his gap year, though. Whenever he’d saved up enough for a few days away he'd blitz off on a quick weekend getaway to see the sights and sounds of Goryeo up close and personal. He’d always return back to the apartment though. It became a sort of homebase from which he would set out from and return to, his home away from home.

When fencing season came around, Yixing spent most of the money he’d earned to go support Joonmyun and Minho on their competitions away from home. Before long he was almost an expected sight, sitting in the stands with his handmade sign. He cheered for both Joonmyun and Minho, as well as the rest of the team, but everyone knew it was Joonmyun he was really there for. Dongjun even teased Chanyeol that he was being replaced as the Crown Prince’s best friend. But Chanyeol knew better, even if Joonmyun and Yixing were both on the same level, both of them being princes, the friendship he and the Crown Prince had was born through years of being together, and it was impossible to break.

When he wasn't touring the country, Yixing fitted himself into their group almost seamlessly. He got along great with everyone else, wasn't afraid to partake in any of the easy banter and teasing that flew fast and furious among them. He and Siwan would often end up teamed up against the others. They’d bonded over traded tales from their adventures abroad, and so when the alphas of the group would gang up on Siwan, Yixing would leap to his defense. This, of course, would cause Joonmyun to switch sides, and so it earned the Crown Prince some teasing about being soft on the human, but Joonmyun didn't care.

At least he professed not to. The redness of his face and ears told Chanyeol otherwise. It was also partly the reason why Chanyeol wasn’t surprised when Joonmyun announced that he’d decided to do his semester abroad next year at CNC, a university in Xindao, a sizable city in western Zhou.

Minho and the rest of their friends thought it an odd choice. Not only did he not know anyone that went there, but Chanyeol also wasn’t going to go with him, though not for lack of trying on Joonmyun’s part. Seokjin, ever the mothering type, had done his best to persuade Chanyeol otherwise, as did Siwan in his stereotypical omega-like need to comfort and nurture. But Chanyeol held steadfast. He saw this as another one of his proverbial lines in the sand that he needed to draw. Besides, it wasn’t like the Crown Prince would be completely alone. Neither of them said it, but Chanyeol knew that Yixing had been accepted into CFTV for the following year. And care to guess which city CFTV was located in?

No, Chanyeol was not going to go to Xindao with Joonmyun. As of then, he was still undecided.

-

Chanyeol had tried to offer the human prince his bed, but Yixing declined. Chanyeol greatly protested, after all, it wasn’t proper for a prince to have to take the couch while he slept in a bed. But Yixing had insisted, saying that it would be bad etiquette for him to kick Chanyeol out of his own bed for such an extended stay. He was already imposing on their hospitality enough, and the experience of roughing it would be something he could look back fondly on in the years to come. Chanyeol had been prepared to force the issue further, but Joonmyun had told him to let it be. Although he didn’t like it, Chanyeol let it slide.

Yixing occupying their couch did come with one benefit. Yixing helped to shoulder the burden of cooking for them. It was something that the prince loved to do, and he was very good at it. He loved making dishes from the many places he’d visited, his eyes lighting up as he would tell Chanyeol all about them as they worked side by side.

Joonmyun tried to help too, but it had taken all of half a meal for Yixing to pull out the kitchen stool and order Joonmyun to sit down and just watch. Joonmyun hadn’t liked that, instead he’d stormed out of the kitchen and only came back to eat the finished product. But that had lasted all of about a week before he’d suddenly decided that the kitchen was a better place to study than in his room. He professed to be studying, but he always had half an ear trained on the conversation flowing between Chanyeol and Yixing. He also only sat there if Yixing was cooking, the Crown Prince always suspiciously absent when Chanyeol was cooking alone.

It was during one of their shared cooking sessions that Chanyeol figured out where he’d wanted to spend his semester abroad. Kyungsoo was up visiting for the weekend, a late celebration of his achieving a rank of twelve on the entrance exams. Chanyeol had seen the reports in the papers and knew that the raw scores of that year were high again, almost as high as during Minseok’s eighth year. He was very proud of Kyungsoo’s score. Kyungsoo was too, although he was more than a little miffed that Baekhyun had somehow managed to eke out a score high enough to rank fourth. Jongdae had also done well, coming in at twenty-one.

Yixing had made them takoyaki to celebrate, something he’d learned how to make during his time in Nihon. It had taken them nearly a whole day to find the right sort of pan, because you just couldn’t use any sort of pan, but one bite of the tasty balls had Chanyeol and Kyungsoo instantly in love with them. Yixing could barely make them fast enough before they had them scarfed down, the two of them squabbling over how many of the half dozen pieces each batch produced.

Joonmyun snapped a picture of the two of them in that moment, Kyungsoo’s face lit up in delight over having won the last piece of the batch, and Chanyeol’s fallen in more anguish than food should ever be able to make a person feel. It was a wonderfully candid moment, and Joonmyun sent it to them all in a group message later that evening as Chanyeol lay in bed. His eyes found themselves drinking in the sight of Kyungsoo’s smile. The younger Prince’s smile had always had a way of capturing Chanyeol’s attention, taking him in.

Setting his phone on his night stand, Chanyeol rolled over and looked at Kyungsoo sleeping beside him, because of course Kyungsoo would bunk with him and not his brother. He brushed the bangs out of Kyungsoo’s face and the sleeping pup wiggled closer to Chanyeol’s side. The move was unconscious, automatic even, on both their parts. For the first time in a while Chanyeol fell asleep to the sound of another person breathing. And it was as he fell asleep that Chanyeol made up his mind.

Yixing had learned how to make takoyaki while watching the street vendors during his time in Nihon, specifically the street vendors of Kimoshi. HNK had a campus there. Chanyeol would do his semester abroad there and learn how to make takoyaki for himself. Then he could come back home and make Kyungsoo all the takoyaki that he could possibly eat.

Yeah, he liked that plan.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks at the story’s rating and then back at the last 10 chapters. E? This is supposed to be E?

Chanyeol has always belonged to Kyungsoo. The little prince had taken his heart and never once returned it. And Chanyeol is okay with that.

-

Somewhere between all of the assignments, studying, exams and a job, time moved on and their second year at university drew to a close. It took him all of a month to finalize his arrangements for his semester abroad. He almost had to pick a different school because all of the slots for the program were filled. Apparently HNK was a popular destination for students looking to spend their semester abroad in Nihon. But a last minute cancelation opened up a spot for Chanyeol during the fall semester of next year. It was quicker than he was looking at, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. He’d have to wait a whole nother year if he didn’t take it.

Unfortunately, it did mean that he and Joonmyun wouldn’t be spending much time together next year. The prince’s semester abroad at CNC was scheduled for the spring semester. Joonmyun’s great displeasure at their elongated forced separation was what finally convinced Chanyeol that the Crown Prince hadn’t pulled any strings to get him a spot at HNK. Minho used the situation to try to get Joonmyun to change the dates of his semester abroad to coincide with Chanyeol, that way Joonmyun wouldn’t be gone during fencing season. But surprisingly, Joonmyun held firm with his dates, for reasons Chanyeol couldn’t quite determine. Whatever his reasons, Chanyeol was glad that the prince was beginning to branch out on his own.

Though he really wanted to stay for Kyungsoo’s graduation, Yixing found that he couldn’t. His own nephew, Zitao, was graduating from preschool the same weekend. Granted it was only preschool, something Chanyeol didn’t quite understand the importance of having never gone to one himself, but family was family. Still, Yixing made the most of his time in Goryeo. He stayed right up until the last possible moment. He and Joonmyun took one last quick trip to Sooman so that Yixing could pay his respects to the Alpha King and Changmin before he boarded a plane for Zhou.

Chanyeol had wanted to go with them, but he had one last final exam to take. He’d tried to get his professor to let him take it early, but the professor was old school. He didn’t give a single care to who Chanyeol would be traveling with or visiting and told him if valued his education, Chanyeol would make sure his butt was in his seat at 9:00 AM the day of the exam. Chanyeol doubted he would have even let the Alpha King himself skip the final exam. So he, unfortunately, said his goodbyes to Yixing early and proceeded to study and ace that final.

One thing he would not be missing, however, was Kyungsoo’s graduation. He would move mountains to make sure he was there the day that the young prince walked across that stage. As it was, he was the first to arrive back in Tokju and was early enough to treat him to an early lunch before the ceremony. Of course, Chanyeol found himself paying for Baekhyun and Jongdae as well. The two betas had somehow sensed a free meal that did not consist of cafeteria food and were seated and buckled into the backseat of Chanyeol’s car before he could he could even say hello.

Even though he participated and fully engaged during the meal, Chanyeol could tell that something was bothering the young prince. It was in the way that he held himself, a stiffness to his posture that normally wasn’t present whenever they were together. Sometimes it would be present when Baekhyun and Jongdae got to messing around with Kyungsoo, but it was certainly almost never there when Chanyeol was around.

The moment he slipped off to the bathroom, Baekhyun sang like a canary. Seemed that Kyungsoo didn’t want to walk, didn’t want to participate in the ceremony at all. He wouldn’t tell them why either, only that he didn’t feel it necessary to do so. But Chanyeol figured it out just moments later as Kyungsoo made his way back to their table. An alpha wasn’t watching where he was going and bumped into Kyungsoo. But of course, said alpha didn’t see it as his fault, instead growling out a “watch where you’re going, pup.”

It was slight, barely even there, but Kyungsoo’s eyes went from shocked and annoyed to ashamed and embarrassed before morphing to carefully neutral. Chanyeol was instantly on his feet, ready to come to Kyungsoo’s defense. But Kyungsoo quickly moved to drag him out of the restaurant. It wouldn’t do for him to get into a fight over nothing, Kyungsoo told him.

But obviously it wasn't nothing, not if it was bothering Kyungsoo. Chanyeol told Kyungsoo so as soon as he parked his car in the steadily filling lot back at the Academy. Baekhyun and Jongdae wisely made themselves scarce soon afterward, leaving Kyungsoo and Chanyeol alone. Kyungsoo came clean to Chanyeol there, how the real reason he didn’t want to walk later that day was because he didn’t want everyone to be watching him, laughing at him for still being unpresented at such a late age.

Chanyeol repeated everything he had told him up on the rooftop a year ago. How it would happen when it happened, people presented when they were ready. It didn’t mean he was any less of a wolf. Kyungsoo just laughed, a disparaging sound that was in no way humorous. He asked Chanyeol to tell him who else he knew of that was still unpresented by the fall of their seventeenth year, saying there was no one because there wasn’t any. Just him, the messed up younger brother of the perfect Joonmyun.

Chanyeol tried to calm him down. So what if Kyungsoo was late, extremely late. But presenting wasn’t an exact science. Sure, Joonmyun had somehow managed to do so right on clockwork, but Chanyeol himself had defied all known timelines for presenting when he’d done so a full two years early. That, of course, did not go over so well with Kyungsoo. Why did he get to be the one who presented later than late? Why did he get to be the one that others would be whispering and gossiping about. It was bad enough that he was already in the spotlight for being a prince, but to add this on top of it?

Again, Chanyeol found himself echoing the words he’d said before. How Kyungsoo was still kind, loyal, smart, brave, and patient. How he was still perfect just the way he was. And this time he added that who cared what others thought. Today was his big day, it was his parent’s big day too. Kyungsoo walking across that stage probably meant more to Yunho and Changmin than it did to Kyungsoo. He told him to do it for them, to walk with his head held high to make them proud, to make Joonmyun proud.

Kyungsoo almost looked like wasn’t going to do it. Like he was still going to refuse to go through with it. But in the end, he turned to Chanyeol and looked him straight in the eye. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll do it for you, hyung.”

Chanyeol has to admit, seeing Kyungsoo walk across the stage later that night, it did make him proud. It made him very proud to see the young adult he had become. And he couldn’t wait to the see the wolf he would become. Maybe if he had known then just how much Kyungsoo’s presentation would change everything he wouldn’t have been so eager.

-

Due to the fact that they would be spending their entire third year apart from each other, Joonmyun outright demanded that Chanyeol not get a summer job and instead spend the summer with him in Sooman. Chanyeol had protested for all of ten seconds, the amount of time it took for Joonmyun to turn around and look him in the eye with a look that would eventually become his signature “I am the Alpha King and you would do well to obey me” stare. Every so often Chanyeol can be selfish, and in this he is unashamedly so, for he likes to think that the moment was Joonmyun’s first ever use of the look. Needless to say, Chanyeol’s protests immediately died. He moved into the same guestroom he’d been given on his first visit to Essement Palace and this time he actually did sleep in it.

Unlike his last visit, where they had little else to do other than their driving lessons, Joonmyun now had a few duties to attend to. Whether he tagged along willingly or he was simply dragged along was never quite determined, but Chanyeol was with him for most of them. Donghae, the princes’ former governor was quite pleased with the arrangement. While they were away at school, Donghae had begun to be groomed to take over the running of Essement Palace from Hwanhee, who wanted to retire. Of course, even though the princes were back in the palace for the summer, his services as governor were no longer exactly required as Joonmyun and Kyungsoo had gotten older and needed less looking after. But still, someone had to be there for them just in case, and Chanyeol’s presence allowed him to continue to focus on his soon to be permanent assignment. As soon as the summer solstice came and Kyungsoo was officially of age, Donghae would be officially announced as the new majordomo.

Most of Joonmyun’s duties were of a public relations sort of nature, helping to maintain the good standing of the royal family in the public’s eye. But there were a few instances of him attending meetings of more importance. One such meeting was a session being held to gain public comment over the proposal to do away with mandatory military service. By law, every male was required to serve, a law still in place from when Goryeo and Zhou were still locked in near constant warfare. But since the Three Nation’s War, the entire region had entered into a time of peace. As such, the need for such a large standing army was greatly reduced. The Alpha Kings had responded by decreasing the amount of time that was demanded of each man, but there had begun to be rumblings that further actions could still be taken, even going so far as to suggest to do away with it entirely.

The meeting was a popular one, attended by many people seeking to voice their opinions. A great number of the nobility were there too, even if their positions in the government did not require them to be so. Among them were Minho and his father, Lord Taecyeon. His father was a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a longtime outspoken opponent of the Alpha King, he was never awarded the top position of being the Minister Himself, but he still held a large position of influence and sway among the other nobility.

His initial reaction at seeing Chanyeol there with the Crown Prince was a scowl, one which had only deepened upon seeing Minho walk up to them and engage them in friendly and obviously familiar conversation. So far as Chanyeol knew, Minho’s growing friendship with the Crown Prince had never been a secret, but the young alpha’s home life had always been a bit of an off limits topic. Most of what Chanyeol knew, or maybe thought he knew, came from small snippets of information gradually gleaned through the years in unguarded comments by others or quick offhanded comments by Minho that were more allusions than statements.

Chanyeol had behaved himself, sitting behind Joonmyun to his left, and never once spoke out of turn. It was a long and laborious process. He could tell that many of the people in attendance were growing bored with it. But having served in a regional office the year before, Chanyeol knew the importance of such proceedings. The ability for the people to have their voice be heard, and more importantly to feel as if their voice mattered, was a key aspect to keeping a country running. Indeed, Seokjin’s father had once posited that that was more of a reason for Nihon’s defeat in the Three Nation’s War than their inability to combat the combined power of Zhou and Goryeo. Feeling marginalized and discontent, the people had rebelled against the Nihonite monarchy and nobility and in doing so, had disrupted the chain of command and organization of their army abroad. One cannot fight a war abroad if there is a war at home, and so the Nihonite army had had to withdraw to fight their own civil war.

It is still debated to this day whether or not Goryeo and Zhou should have pursued the tigers to their island home and intervened. It is often done as a class exercise, debating the merits of such actions, and onto which side they might have sided with. Chanyeol still remembers their own debate during their last year at the Academy. Minho had argued very passionately for siding with the commoners while Joonmyun had carefully presented the case for staying out of the internal conflict. Chanyeol had been assigned the position of arguing for siding with the Nihonite monarchy, by far the least popular of the choices. He likes to think he did it justice, even if he didn’t personally believe it in.

Whatever you believed, the fact remained that Goryeo and Zhou had not intervened, and it had cost the Nihonite monarchy not only their throne, but their lives as well. However one felt about the issue, it was largely agreed by everyone that the lives of the entire royal family might have been too high of a price to pay. So yes, Chanyeol knew the importance of such boring proceedings. He took notes on what was being said, keeping interest long after Joonmyun, Minho, and even Lord Taecyeon lost theirs.

When the week-long sessions were done, the cabinet members retired behind closed doors to make their final recommendations to the Alpha King. Had this been Zhou, the king would merely be rubber stamping the legislation elected officials had crafted. But this was Goryeo, and here the Alpha King still had the final say, the absolute power. Yunho had attended a few of the sessions, staying for as long as his busy schedule let him. Chanyeol liked that, the fact that the people knew there was a chance that the Alpha King himself might hear them speak. It was a good move on the reigning monarch’s part.

Still, Chanyeol could have never predicted what it would all lead up to. They’d been invited to a dinner party hosted by Baekhyun’s parents, and though they’d tried not to, the topic of dropping the requirement for mandatory military service was brought up. Thankfully, most everyone in attendance was tired of hearing about it, and so they’d quickly tried to move the conversation onto other things. But then, Yunho had reignited everyone’s attention with a few simple words, asking Chanyeol what his thoughts were on the matter.

It was a simple matter of Chanyeol falling victim to being in the right place at the the wrong time. He’d merely slipped back into the house to get himself another drink after having artfully passed his spiked beverage onto the still yet underaged Kyungsoo. He'd set it down amidst a number of others on the table and “forgetten” which was his. And somehow his reward for the successful operation was him gaining the attention of the entire room, everyone waiting for his answer to the Alpha King’s solicitation.

It was just Chanyeol’s luck that after looking up at the Alpha King with a deer caught in the headlights expression he’d catch sight of Lord Taecyeon’s not so happy expression. Remembering his rank and station, Chanyeol tried to escape without ruffling any feathers. But one does not simply brush off the Alpha King’s request for an opinion. And so Chanyeol answered honestly.

In his opinion, the long period of peace had decreased the need for a large standing army. And judging the actions of the past few Alpha Kings and their Zhouite counterparts, that peace was likely to continue. Add in the evolution of modern technology, the need for such a large number of soldiers was even moreso not required. But they would be foolish to think that they should do away with the mandatory service. Peace, while lovely, sometimes required action to protect it, and its foes were not always polite enough to give warning. Plus, Goryeo was a kingdom of wolves, and wolves were a proud people. It should be counted an honor and privilege to serve their kingdom, and the act of doing so made many a wolf proud to be citizen.

Yunho had thanked Chanyeol for his honesty and sent him back to his friends. But the expression that Lord Taecyeon wore showed that what Chanyeol had done had not gone unnoticed. Indeed, how could it not be noticed. Chanyeol had made reference to a number of arguments he’d heard during the public comment sessions, including a passionate one done by Lord Taecyeon himself. It hadn’t been a look of anger nor one of delight. Rather, it had been a look that largely reminded Chanyeol of when Minho had first realized that Joonmyun might actually possess enough skill to be a worthy rival to spar with. It was a look that one gets when you realize, albeit reluctantly, that you might be mistaken in your assumptions of someone. Chanyeol only hoped it would mean the Lord would be a bit less cold to him in the future.

-

It was really Baekhyun and Jongdae’s fault for suggesting it, but it was Joonmyun that made it all happen. The two betas had decided that the best way to celebrate their graduation from the Academy was a trip to Jinjudo, an island off the southern coast of Goryeo. But of course, even though they were grown, their parents were leery of letting the two betas go off on their own. They had mellowed with age, but they were still very capable of living up to their reputations as the two terrors.

Thus began a chain of invites seeking to gain approval - and funding - from their parents. First on the list were Kyungsoo and Jungkook, which then expanded to Joonmyun and Chanyeol before adding Minho and Seokjin. But Jungkook couldn’t be the only omega there, so that meant Siwan had to go too, which meant Dongjun would be going as well because there was no way that he would let even the slightest opportunity for anything to happen between Joonmyun and Siwan.

They scheduled it for the weeks preceding and following the summer solstice. It was prime tourist season, but the beach house was in a less busy part of the island so it wouldn’t be too bad. The roommate situation got a little messy though.

The two terrors really wanted to share a room, promising on their grandmothers’ lives they wouldn’t destroy it, while Dongjun tried to maneuver the situation so that he and Siwan would share. Joonmyun absolutely wouldn’t stand for that so the two omegas were forced to share. That, of course, meant that Dongjun then wanted to room with Joonmyun so he could keep an eye on him. The final arrangement was Joonmyun and Dongjun, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Seokjin, Jongdae and Minho, and Jungkook and Siwan, although somehow that only lasted a night before the Baekhyun and Minho switched. Minho had never said what exactly Baekhyun had done to get him to agree, but Kyungsoo told Chanyeol it probably had something to do with a certain eight-legged creature that he’d seen the beta playing with earlier in the day.

The trip itself was absolutely amazing. To this day everyone that went looks back on it as one of the best moments of their lives. They spent the days exploring the sights and sounds of the island. They walked historic Front Street, a throwback to a time when things were simpler and life wasn’t so hectic. They ate seafood from street vendors set up mere steps away from where the ships that caught them were docked. They hiked up mountain trails to swim in crystal clear pools beneath gorgeous waterfalls. They swam in ocean waters that were as deep and blue as the sky. And at night, they would sit out on the beach in front of the beach house to the warmth of a crackling fire and watch the dazzling summer sky, countless stars twinkling their way across the deep blanket of black.

Though they were on vacation, their schedule was jam packed, nobody wanting to waste a moment of the time they had there. As such, nobody thought much of when Kyungsoo said he was getting cold sitting by the fireside one evening. Joonmyun thought it was just Kyungsoo reacting to the difference in temperature the night had brought. It had cooled considerably from the heat of the day, and there was a gentle yet warm summer breeze blowing. Chanyeol called him heartless and offered Kyungsoo his shirt as an extra layer. He’d gotten too hot sitting so close to fire and so had taken it off.

Chanyeol sometimes wonders if it wouldn’t have been so bad if he had insisted Kyungsoo stay home the next day and rest. But it was the eve of the summer solstice, and they were supposed to drive up to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset and attend the local bonfire festival. No one wanted to miss that.

He woke up the morning of feeling hot, only to realize that Kyungsoo had climbed into his bed during the night, bringing with him his own comforter. Buried beneath two sets of blankets, Chanyeol felt like he was in a furnace. But Kyungsoo looked better after a night’s sleep, well enough to push back and insist he was fine. Chanyeol didn’t think much about it then. And who could blame him? Such warning signs are not the first thing that come to the mind of nineteen-year old.

Kyungsoo pushed through and made it through the entire day, his trademark stubbornness not letting him admit defeat. He was quiet that day, but he was quiet by nature so it wasn’t anything new. But by the time the giant bonfires lit to give off light and warmth for the festival goers needed to be replenished for the first time that night, Kyungsoo’s body had had enough. He sank down next to Chanyeol at a picnic table, letting him bear all of his weight. He was warm to the touch, skin flushed, and eyes watery. He didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that his head hurt, and every so often his body would involuntarily shudder as he tried to suppress a cough.

Seokjin, ever the mother of the group, got him some water and somehow found a blanket for him to wrap in, feeling chilled despite wearing a jacket. It was obvious to all that he was done for the evening. Joonmyun was going to call an early end to the night, but Kyungsoo refused. He put on a brave front, not wanting to be the cause of ending everyone else’s fun down. Against his better judgement, Joonmyun let him have his way.

While the rest of the group spent the night dancing and enjoying the events and games of the festival, Chanyeol spent most of the evening right there at the table, letting the worn out and exhausted young prince slip into a fitful slumber. Joonmyun came and relieved him for a portion of the night, as did Seokjin. Baekhyun and Jongdae also sat with him for a while, but that was only because some sharp eyed alpha bartender had confiscated their fake IDs. But Chanyeol found it hard to think about anything other than Kyungsoo. Shortly before midnight, he decided to take the sleeping prince back to the house by himself.

As he lay the sleeping prince down in his bed, he hoped that he would bounce back from this quickly. Knowing Kyungsoo’s tenacity, Chanyeol had little doubt that he would be fine in no time. But if Kyungsoo was stressed out enough to come down with a cold in the middle of the summer, then his mind was probably really troubled. His mind went back to the last time Kyungsoo had fallen ill, just over a year ago. Nothing had changed regarding those circumstances since then, which meant it was likely the same thing bothering the poor pup.

And that was probably it, wasn’t it? Even if he hadn’t said anything, that didn’t mean thoughts of it hadn’t been circling in his mind. Today had been the summer solstice. Tomorrow, when the sun broke over the eastern horizon, Chanyeol would be twenty and Kyungsoo would be eighteen. Kyungsoo would be the only known person in all of wolfdom who would enter the age of adulthood as a pup. And much as Chanyeol wanted to say that it wasn’t anything to be concerned about, he could help but worry. He wouldn’t wish such a fate on anyone.

-

Just off of eastern Jinjudo is Manjin Island, an entire island resort accessible only by ferry. By sheer coincidence in timing, Taehyung and his family happened to be renting a villa there. They offered to let the boys stay a few nights in the villa to enjoy the less crowded amenities of the island. The plan had been to leave the day after the summer solstice, that way they’d get to enjoy the remainder of the week there before they had to return back to real life.

But now that the day was upon them, Kyungsoo was in no condition to go anywhere. His body had spiked with fever during the night and he had woken up nauseous, despite not having a had drop of alcohol the night before. Somebody had to stay behind with the younger prince. But just as when they’d had to decide on the roommate situation, the decision of who would stay was anything but easy.

The impromptu conference happened in the upstairs hallway, the three younger wolves downstairs somewhere. Siwan, the ever kind-hearted omega, was the first to volunteer, prompting Dongjun to volunteer to stay back with him. Seokjin wasn’t about to leave the two unsupervised, so then he volunteered, as did Chanyeol. But Joonmyun shook his head, saying that Taehyung was more Seokjin and Chanyeol’s friend, so if anyone should have to stay back it should be him.

Minho had immediately balked at that. During the course of the trip, Dongjun had begun to wonder if his initial assumption that it was Joonmyun who had ideas of courtship with Siwan might be wrong. But in the Crown Prince’s place, he’d substituted Minho as the one he needed to look out for. “Don’t you dare leave me alone with him, Your Highness,” Minho hissed out to Joonmyun.

But Joonmyun stood his ground. “He’s my brother,” he said. “That makes him my responsibility.”

Something about the way that Joonmyun had called Kyungsoo a responsibility struck Chanyeol the wrong way. But before he could say anything, the door to his room suddenly opened. An unsteady Kyungsoo filled the open space. The prince reached out his arm and took a few wobbly steps before nearly collapsing. He’d called out the word “hyung,” but it was not Joonmyun to whom he moved towards. Luckily, Kyungsoo had been close enough for Chanyeol to catch, either that or Chanyeol just had lightning reflexes.

Kyungsoo was hungry, enough so that he’d been willing to get out of bed to find something to eat. And in reaching out for Chanyeol, it seemed that Kyungsoo himself had solved the question of who was going to be staying with him.

By the time the hour was finished, everyone else was packed up in the van and headed towards the marina where the ferry to take them across was waiting. Joonmyun had tried one last time to stay behind instead of Chanyeol, but Minho had grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into the front seat of the van, saying something along the lines of Kyungsoo couldn’t be feeling too bad if he was feeling hungry. As he waved goodbye, Chanyeol thought that was a good enough assessment of the situation.

But it seemed like Kyungsoo’s biology liked to circumvent known conventions. His temperature spiked again later in the afternoon and Kyungsoo ended up throwing up most of what he’d managed to eat along with the pills Chanyeol had gotten him for the pain. Despite Chanyeol’s best attempts, Kyungsoo hadn’t been able to summon the effort to stomach anything afterwards other than a few gulps of water here and there. Chanyeol ended up phoning both his mother and sister in an attempt to figure out what else he could do.

As it was, everything came to a head later that evening. After battling to get Kyungsoo’s fever mostly controlled during the day, it steadily increased throughout the night. Each time Chanyeol checked it seemed to get higher and higher, and Chanyeol wasn’t sure if Kyungsoo’s weak replies were because he was half asleep or he was delirious. In one final last-ditch attempt, Chanyeol picked up the young prince and took him into the bathroom. He started filling the tub with cold water. If an ice cold bath didn’t bring it down, he was going to have to make another set of calls.

Once in his arms, Kyungsoo seemed reluctant to part with Chanyeol. He kept trying to hold onto the alpha, and while his movements were uncoordinated and lack any strength, it did make it difficult for Chanyeol to maneuver him. How he managed to strip Kyungsoo of his clothing without dropping him or tripping over himself he’ll never know.

When he’d succeeded, he tried to place the prince into slowly filling tub, only for Kyungsoo to pull himself even closer against Chanyeol, as if that were even possible. It seemed that Kyungsoo would not be staying in the tub by himself willingly, so Chanyeol was just going to have to get in there with him.

He was able to get Kyungsoo off of him briefly to attempt to rid himself of his own clothing, but Kyungsoo reached out and pulled him into the tub with a surprisingly strong grip. He tried to free himself again, but after three attempts and only managing to get his shirt off, Chanyeol just decided to give up. He lifted the desperate Kyungsoo into his hold and climbed into the tub still wearing his jeans.

It felt strange sitting there. The water was freezing, as if it were coming straight from a mountain stream. But Kyungsoo was still warm to his touch, still burning up as he straddled Chanyeol and kept squirming. It was like Kyungsoo was trying to get as much skin to skin contact as possible. He wasn’t just burying himself against Chanyeol, he was pressing his entire chest down until there wasn’t a bit of him not touching the alpha. His arms were wrapped around Chanyeol, holding him tight as if he was afraid Chanyeol was going to disappear from right between his grasp. And his nose was nuzzling right against the spot where Chanyeol’s neck met his shoulders, his every exhale blowing hot air across Chanyeol’s throat.

Chanyeol remembers freezing in that moment, the implications of their position and how intimate it would look to anyone who might walk in causing his brain to go blank. He remembers just sitting there, letting his little prince have his way with his body, seeking the comfort and relief that he was somehow finding in Chanyeol. He especially remembers the chill that went through his body when Kyungsoo inhaled deeply as he trailed his nose up the side of Chanyeol’s neck only to exhale right behind his ear. It was a chill that had nothing to do with the coldness of the water he was sitting in.

It was probably that very action that broke the spell, for right then Kyungsoo was hit by a sudden fit of coughing, as if he had choked on pheromones that Chanyeol had no doubt unwillingly released. The fit was so violent that Kyungsoo’s whole body moved with every cough, the action threatening to send water spilling over the edge of the tub.

And with that everything seemed to fall back into place. Chanyeol quickly kicked the faucet off with his foot. He brought his hands up to push Kyungsoo back a bit, turning him so that he was leaning against Chanyeol on his side instead of straddling him. Gently, he ran a hand down Kyungsoo’s back, rubbing small circles to let him know that Chanyeol was there, that he wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Still, Kyungsoo tried to squirm, tried to scent Chanyeol again. And when Chanyeol’s hold proved too much for him to fight in his weakened state, the young prince let out a distressing mewl, evoking feelings within Chanyeol, feelings that were familiar to him. The feeling of needing to console and soothe a pup’s misery, the feeling of helplessness that came because the fight was one that Chanyeol and the alpha within him couldn’t fight for Kyungsoo. This was something that Kyungsoo and his own wolf would have to fight on their own, would have find a way to conquer without him.

But even if he couldn’t fight the battle for him, he could still be there for him. He would always be there for his prince. And so Chanyeol let out more of his scent, adding in notes of bread fresh from the oven and burnt sugar into the air, whispering quiet words to reassure Kyungsoo of his presence.

He doesn’t know how long it took, but eventually the sour tinge of fear and pain disappeared from Kyungsoo’s sweet scent. By then the water had done its job, absorbing some of the fire from Kyungsoo’s body. Chanyeol awkwardly got to his feet, careful to step firmly onto the bathmat outside the tub so that he didn’t slip and fall. Kyungsoo didn’t want to be put down, still clung to him when he tried to, so he grabbed a towel and dried them off with one hand.

When Kyungsoo was as dry as he could get him, Chanyeol carried him back into their shared bedroom. He was going to set him down in his own bed, but one glance at the the rumpled comforter made him change his mind, not to mention the sheets had a subtle stench of sweat to them. Deciding his bed was the better choice, Chanyeol deposited the young prince into its center.

His legs released with little resistance, but Chanyeol had to reach up and unclasp Kyungsoo’s hands from where they were seemingly locked together behind his neck. He reached out and placed a pillow beneath the prince’s head and watched as the he instinctively turned to burry his face into it and inhale its scent. It was the pillow Chanyeol had been using, so no doubt it smelled a bit like him.

Kyungsoo turned to look up at him, eyes unfocused as they searched for something to hold onto. Chanyeol forced a smile onto his face, hoping that the storm of concern and unease he felt didn’t show in his face. It took a while, but eventually Kyungsoo’s gaze sharpened enough so that Chanyeol knew he really was there and the prince gave a small if not exhausted smile of his own. The act sent a wave of relief through Chanyeol, knowing the prince was going to make it through the night.

It was a close call, he thought to himself, but the cold bath seemed to have done its job and broken the fever. He pulled back and started to peel off his soaked jeans and boxers in one motion. But a cry of anguish made Chanyeol stumble and lose his footing, one foot free of the wet fabric and the other getting caught on the edge. The air in the room quickly flooded with the scent of Kyungsoo’s distress again, this time ten times more intense than it had been before. Chanyeol’s first reaction upon regaining his feet was to release his own scent again, concentrating on emphasizing the undertones of his alpha nature so that Kyungsoo would feel safe. He reached out to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek and draw his gaze to his.

The moment their eyes met Chanyeol knew he’d made the wrong decision. It was in the savagery of Kyungsoo’s eyes, the way they leered out at Chanyeol like he was something to possess. But by then it was all too late. Kyungsoo responded to the pheromones in the air, and Chanyeol responded in turn, the two of them acting and reacting without even thinking in a dance as old as time itself.

It was unintentional, Chanyeol didn’t mean for it to happen. But it happened anyway. His last rational thought was to pull back, to move his hand away from Kyungsoo’s face. But that only made it trail down the front of Kyungsoo’s body, accidentally brushing it against his arousal. The single touch was enough to send Kyungsoo over the edge.

Chanyeol could only stay still and watch, his eyes transfixed at the way Kyungsoo’s entire body gave into the the force of his orgasam, the way Kyungsoo’s lungs gasped for air, the way his torso convulsed with each pulse, the way his toes couldn’t decide which way to twitch, and the force with which his milk came bursting forth from his manhood, painting his chest with the rich white substance.

Chanyeol stood motionless till its completion, mesmerized by the sight of it all, captivated by the beauty of it all. He watched until Kyungsoo slowly came back down from the heights their unintended battle of pheromones had sent to him.

Neither one of them said it. But it didn’t have to be said, for the evidence could not be denied, not with the way part of it lay drying on Kyungsoo’s chest. Were it not true, it wouldn’t be there. Were it not true, their battle of pheromones would have had a different outcome. Were it not true…

But it was true. Looking him in the eye afterwards, Chanyeol didn’t know what he expected to see. But he didn’t expect the look of shame and guilt that filled Kyungsoo’s face. Once again that night, Kyungsoo folded in on himself. But this time, it was not because of the pain. No, this time was for a different reason. This time, he cried.

He cried out tears of sadness. He cried out with deep, heart-wrenching sobs. And all Chanyeol could do was pick him up and hold him in his arms. This time he didn’t say anything, because while there were plenty of words he could have said, he was too much in shock himself. He doubted that Kyungsoo would have heard them anyway, too lost in his own grief.

-

Eventually the toll of the past few days coupled with the emotional bombshell finally overwhelmed Kyungsoo enough to send him into a deep sleep. He called out from time to time, small whimpers that tugged on Chanyeol’s heartstrings. But there was nothing he could to that could undo this. Nothing could erase this, no magic words that would make it all go away. This was nature at her finest, at her most basic and primal level.

Nature had made Kyungsoo an omega. She had made him an omega and blessed him with a presenting that had every bit of the pain and agony that every pup prayed they would never be the ones to experience. Chanyeol wanted to scream and shout about the injustice of it all. For in one simple moment nature had changed everything. It was almost too much for Chanyeol to process. He could only begin to think of what must have been going through the young prince’s mind before he’d finally succumbed to sleep. He almost wished that Kyungsoo had never presented, that he would have stayed a pup his entire life.

But wishes were empty. Nature had made Kyungsoo an omega. And what she had decreed could not be made void, no matter who you were.

Sleep never came for Chanyeol that night. His mind wouldn’t let him. Not long after Kyungsoo fell asleep Chanyeol realized that he needed to clean him up, to wipe up the now dried milk that had proclaimed Kyungsoo’s status to the world. He extracted himself from Kyungsoo’s grip, doing it carefully and gently. But Kyungsoo was so heavily asleep that Chanyeol doubted he would have woken up for anything in that moment. He went back into the bathroom to retrieve a damp washcloth and then returned to clean up Kyungsoo. It was easy enough to do, and Chanyeol found himself wishing that he could take care of everything else as easily.

It wasn’t until he walked back into the bathroom and caught sight of himself in the mirror that Chanyeol realized that he was still naked. For that matter, so was Kyungsoo. He and Kyungsoo had been naked together. And while that had perfectly acceptable and natural for them before, Kyungsoo’s presenting changed things. It was going to change a lot of things. Not just because of what Kyungsoo was, but because of who Kyungsoo was.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head. He had things he needed to do.

He quickly jumped into the shower to wash off, not caring at the stupidity of washing his whole body just to clean a single spot. When he was done with that, he dressed in an old t-shirt and jeans and busied himself with cleaning up the room. He found a fan to circulate the air because opening the window was out of the question. He brought all of Kyungsoo’s sheets down to the laundry because they would smell like him. Chanyeol’s own sheets would smell even stronger, for it was those sheets Kyungsoo was using now that he’d finally presented, but those would have to be washed after Kyungsoo was done. Or gone - which ever came first.

Chanyeol spent more time cleaning than he had to. Every minute that Chanyeol spent doing that was another minute Chanyeol had to compose himself. It was another minute that Chanyeol could spend thinking about what he was going to say when he called. Because he was going to have to make some calls. They were calls that Chanyeol had never once dreamed about having to make, but they needed to be done. Chanyeol needed to do this right. Because of who Kyungsoo was.

In a final attempt at putting off the inevitable, Chanyeol decided that Kyungsoo needed to be cleaned off again. Not just to remove any lingering traces of his milk, but to help stave off some of heat that was beginning to rebuild within him.

He got a bucket of warm water and a clean washcloth and gave Kyungsoo a sponge bath. It was difficult, but he kept his mind on the task at hand. He ignored the pheromones that Kyungsoo was giving off and kept a tight leash on his own. He did not want a repeat of what had triggered the final act of Kyungsoo’s presenting. And when he was finished, the bucket and washcloth back in their proper place, only then did he make the first of his calls.

It was very late by the time he raised the phone to his ear, or very early depending on how one wanted to count the days. But Chanyeol had delayed long enough. Despite the hour, the phone was answered within four rings. It was Changmin whom he called. The idea of having this conversation with the Alpha King’s mate was infinitely better than the thought of having to tell the Alpha King himself.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes, but it certainly felt longer to Chanyeol. Sitting outside in the hallway, back against the wall, Chanyeol recounted the events of the past few days to Kyungsoo’s appa. Going back over them all Chanyeol found himself in disbelief that he hadn’t figured it out before it all happened. The warning signs were all there. The cold and flu like symptoms that suddenly descended on Kyungsoo. The way that Kyungsoo had clung to him, pressing his nose against where Chanyeol’s alpha scent would be strongest.

Even after they had hung up, Chanyeol still replayed the events in his mind. His memory went back to what had happened in the tub. Looking back at it now, without the alarm and concern of Kyungsoo being in pain, Chanyeol realized that his body had known what was happening even if his mind hadn’t.

Shame flooded through him at the recognition of it. The fact that Kyungsoo had likely been equally turned on never entered his mind. He and Kyungsoo would never discuss what happened that night, not for a very long time. And when they eventually did, it was only for Kyungsoo to express his gratitude for Chanyeol being the one who was there. As such, Chanyeol has never told Kyungsoo about how his body responded to him in that moment. How his body grew hard and strained against the confines of his wet jeans, how his breathing grew shallow, and all he could smell was the scent of Kyungsoo, of cookies and cinnamon.

Chanyeol shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was Kyungsoo. He was more than his best friend’s little brother. He was someone who Chanyeol considered as a friend in his own right. He deserved better than someone lusting after his body while he slept. And really, Chanyeol thought, Kyungsoo deserved so much more than what was going to happen to him.

Kyungsoo was an omega. Beyond that, he was an omega of royal birth. There hadn’t been a omega in the royal family of Goryeo for all of recorded history. But still, Chanyeol knew what it all meant. Kyungsoo’s future was no longer his own. The histories of Zhou and Nihon were rife with examples for Chanyeol to choose from. Zhou, with its treatment of princess, the human equivalent of omegas. And Nihon with it’s queens. He was now no more than a pawn in a what would become a giant game of strategy played out for all the world to see. He would be mated off in an arranged mating, a token of goodwill or insurance of upholding some negotiated agreement.

Once again, Chanyeol found himself cursing the fact that nature had decreed such a fate on Kyungsoo. In a single moment everything had changed. And what made it worse was that had Kyungsoo been anyone other than a prince, had he been a nameless commoner or even a low ranked member of the nobility, it wouldn’t even matter. But Kyungsoo wasn’t those things, Kyungsoo was as highborn as possible. He was a prince of Goryeo, and so nature had cursed his future.

Anger burned through Chanyeol at the idea that Kyungsoo would fall victim to such archaic and outdated traditions. Surely the Alpha King wouldn’t see it through. Surely he wound stand strong in the face of whatever pressures he would be subject to. Wouldn’t he?

If only it were possible, for wolves were traditionalists at heart. And despite the move to change such practices, even the complete abandonment of them by most members of society, the royal family was by definition even more traditionalist than most.

But be that as it may, that was all in the future. Right now, Chanyeol still had one more call to make, and this one was going to hurt more than the one that he’d just completed. Summoning all the courage he had and faking all the rest that he needed, Chanyeol dialed his best and closest friend before he could even think of wimping out of it. This was something Joonmyun deserved to hear from Chanyeol himself, not through some aid or other government official.

The Crown Prince’s voice was sleepy when he answered, and Chanyeol suddenly found himself at a loss for words. It was a long enough hesitation that Joonmyun got worried that something was wrong with Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol quickly told him there wasn’t. For that was the truth. There was nothing wrong with being an omega. But still, how do you tell someone that everything they’d thought was a lie? That everything had suddenly changed?

And so Chanyeol settled for three words that would say everything and so much more. “Kyungsoo’s in heat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the prolonged silence. Hopefully life settles down a bit and I can find the time and mental energy to continue. On a story related note, apparently I’m going to have to somehow fit mandatory military service into everything else I had planned for the story. Guess the chapter count's going up again.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Feedback are always welcome. I don't always know what to say sometimes so I don't always reply, but I do read each and every one. Thanks!


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